Chapter 9: Moondance
“Jasmine, Princess?” Fancy asked after sniffing the cold cup.
Princess Celestia nodded gently. “I find it relaxing after a long day.”
Fancy nodded and noted the later hour. Celestia had sent word earlier that their teatime would be delayed rather significantly. Their usual afternoon cup had changed to high tea by the time the princess’ matters had settled enough for a break. When they were finally able to sit down, the tea had long cooled to room temperature.
“Agreed, though I usually take such a cup before bed,” Fancy remarked.
“As do I,” Celestia said as her horn sparked to life.
At once, all the windows popped open at the sudden influx of heat. Fancy nearly jumped out of his seat as the room’s temperature quickly shot up as the sun began to set. The cool mountain air rushed inside to help offset the ancient magicks’ boiling radiance, but there was only so much the natural world could do against the power of the sun. The room surged with warming energy as motes of magic wisped around freely. Even though the room seemed to blaze around him, he was somehow spared burning alive. In the distance, the sun sank below the horizon, as well as the light of the princess’ horn and the subtle glow around her body. Another day done, Princess Celestia took a deep breath of her jasmine and drank it, satisfied with its wonderful flavor.
“Sometimes, I like to watch the sunset from this room during winter. I built it to be one of the few places I can move the sun safely while indoors.” The flow of cool air slowly returned to normal as Celestia settled to room temperature. Without the pressure of her heat, the windows closed on their own.
“While undoubtedly impressive, a little warning would’ve been nice, your highness.”
The princess giggled. “The first pony to witness the setting sun from this room in a generation, and you’re complaining?”
“It was mere observation, your highness.” Fancy rolled his eyes and joined the princess in enjoying a sip of his tea. It bubbled, but not from boiling. A magical essence swirled within the jasmine creating a subtle glow like a golden orange sunbeam. “It seems the spectacle has warmed our tea to the perfect temperature.”
“It’s called Sunset’s Jasmine, a beautiful invention discovered by a most gifted student of mine. It has been too long since I brewed a cup.” There was a story in her pause, but Fancy didn’t press the matter. He wouldn’t dare touch the pained crack in her otherwise perfect smile. “Seeing as how late I made you wait, Fancy Pants, I thought it was only appropriate. Also, I wanted to thank you and apologize for being so… forceful during our last tea time.”
“Water under the bridge, your highness. I quite enjoyed your sister’s company.”
Celestia’s smile shined brighter than all the sunkissed magic that had lit the room mere moments ago. “You don’t know how wonderful it is to hear you say that.”
“It was a most lovely time, but I could’ve done without the leg-twisting,” he joked.
Her smile returned to its normal pleasant self. “I am sorry. I am just… adamant when it comes to matters with my sister’s happiness. There is so much lost time to make up. Too much. Luna shall have nothing but the best.”
“And I will be there to help in any way I can. It shouldn’t be hard to follow your example of friendship, your highness.”
Celestia drew a sharp breath as if the words had burned her. “N-no, my dear Fancy Pants. My example cost her a millennium. Trust your own heart instead.”
Fancy blinked at Celestia’s unusual slip. While she didn’t guard herself as closely when it was just the two of them, the princess usually didn’t show such weakness. “You sell yourself short, Princess. I know you deeply regret whatever occurred all those years ago, and have strived to do better by everyone. Ponies change, even immortal ones.”
“I assure you, there is no better pony suited for her needs than you.”
“I am honored you think that, Princess.”
Celestia reapplied her smile and took another sip of her tea. “I apologize, Fancy. I’ve asked you to leave our troubles at the door, but here I am dwelling on the past. I do hope that you can forgive me as well as the lateness of the teatime.”
“Please, your highness. There’s no need to apologize. Royal teatime is always one of the highlights of my week.”
“I couldn’t agree more. You have always been such a great friend to me.” Celestia shifted in her seat, looking towards the rising moon. “If you’re not against it, would you be against having high tea from now on rather than afternoon tea? I promise I won’t set the sun on you every time.”
“I suppose we could as long as we avoid days with dinner expectations. Is there a reason why?”
A knowing smile, Celestia turned her head towards the doors to the room. After a few seconds, a click of the knob ushered in a rather drowsy princess of the night. While she’d managed to throw on her tiara, the rest of her regalia was missing. She was draped in a light blue and white nightgown and wearing a set of crescent moon slippers. Fancy Pants wasn’t sure how an aetherial mane could suffer from bedhead, but sure enough, several stars were hanging from unkempt nebulous strands. A large Las Pegasus souvenir coffee mug next to her hovered next to her, wrapped in her midnight magic. The half-asleep princess slurped a noisy swig from her cup, gulping it down for a caffeinated kick.
“Sister?” she asked with a big yawn and trudged in without opening her eyes. “Our guards told us you were taking your evening tea in the solarium. Did you set the sun early again?”
“Yes. But I assure you, I had a good reason,” she answered both ponies. The groggy night princess yawned again, but this time deigned to open her eyes. She met her sister’s unfaltering gaze to her side and followed the trail to see none other than Fancy Pants.
Luna’s widened as her adrenaline kicked in. With a loud pop of magic, the lunar princess vanished from sight. A minute later, she reappeared in her normal regalia, pristine mane, and grumpy scowl aimed at her sister. Her older, solar sister simply brushed the moon’s ire away like raindrops off the tail end of a weathermare.
“We hope this evening finds you well, Fancy Pants.” Luna assumed her regal aloofness as she went for a far more dainty sip from her mug, only to find her magic gripping nothing but air. Another frustrated growl escaped her gritted teeth as she popped in and out of existence to retrieve her mug. “Forgive our more… unkempt appearance from before.”
Fancy said nothing, not even commenting on her slip into her outdated speech. He wouldn’t dare to try anything. The former diplomat was busy biting the inside of his cheek to stop him from laughing. He replied with a quiet nod and offered his seat to Luna.
Luna raised a hoof to stay his chivalrous gesture. “Be at ease, dear Fancy Pants. We did not mean to interrupt your teatime with our sister.”
“Actually, we were hoping you would join us.” Celestia summoned another cushion from the ether for her sister. “You are now friends with Fancy too from what he has told me.”
A brief joyful smile rose to her lips before the younger princess forced it to set again with an indignant harrumph. “Then perhaps you should offer more warning before we appear before our subjects looking worse than the dark side of the moon!”
Fancy bit down harder to suppress his laughter while Celestia guffawed with abandon, bringing a subtle twitch to the younger alicorn’s eye. “I believe this makes us even now, Lulu!”
“You fail to realize that the meaning of war is to achieve victory over your foes, not stalemate them with equality. We swear upon the heavens, our retaliatory prank shall be slow and unrelenting, Tia.”
“I look forward to spending more time with you too, dear sister.” Celestia fluffed the cushion and set it down near Fancy Pants. “Now stop being such a stubborn mare and join us.”
Luna stopped her offended front and gladly took her seat next to Fancy Pants. The smell of her black brew in the stained mug immediately overpowered the light tones of his jasmine tea. He’d seen straight black coffee, but Luna’s was another level of abyssal darkness. It was like staring into deep space with only a few bubbles offering a spark of starlight.
“I say, that is quite the foreboding beverage you have, Luna.” Fancy noticed the slight perk of Celestia’s ears at the lack of ceremony. “Where in Equestria did you find this?”
“Oh!” Luna grinned slyly and turned towards Fancy Pants to give him a better view of her drink of choice for the start of her night. “I am surprised that you’ve never heard of coffee, Fancy Pants. It is quite a popular beverage.”
Fancy decided not to correct the princess seeing as how proud she was to teach somepony else something new for once. “I see. The smell is quite potent. I’m surprised you can drink it.”
“While my sister enjoys gorging herself on the only sweetness of life,” Luna said while dismissing Celestia’s disapproving pout with a wave of her hoof. “I prefer dabbling in the challenging robustness of bitterness. I immediately fell in love with coffee, the true nectar of Elysium, upon my return, but nothing has quite been such a blessing as this flavor. The lovely Athena was kind enough to share this with me.”
“The lovely Athena?” Celestia frowned while her eyes flickered through her memory. “Where have I heard that name before?”
“She is the proprietor of a restaurant here in Canterlot. I took Luna there last week.”
“Oh yes. She must be the minotaur friend you mentioned the other day.” Fancy couldn’t help but notice Celestia relax with a subtle sigh of relief as her warm smile returned.
“Yes. I’ve visited the Labyrinthyum several times since then and this dark blend has become my new favorite. She called it the ‘River Styx,’ a black, caffeinated abyss strong enough to wake the dead. The beans are sourced from the plains downwind from the gates of Tartarus and roasted in fires using Minnosan amaranth. It is dark, nutty, acidic, and unquestionably energizing! I am eternally grateful to her for this pleasant addiction and am honored to call her my friend.
“Though, I suppose you were too busy asking me about Fancy Pants to recall the other friends I made as well that evening, dear sister,” the younger alicorn accused.
“In my defense, the papers showed quite an intimate moment you two shared on the Drive. I was far more interested in reporting your side of the story to stop Cadence before she flew down personally to ask who her auntie was dating. She needs to stay focused on getting adjusted to her new duties, not on the gossip here in Canterlot.”
Luna’s night coat flushed bright red at the mention of that photo. She stood up from her seat and fumed as her eyes darted between Fancy and Celestia.
“Sister! We entreated thee not to recall such frivolous matters again! Sir Fancy Pants served admirably as our most honorable chaperone. Thy vile tabloiding miscreants caught us unawares in the heat of the moment!”
Celestia admired her tea for a moment with the subtlest of smirks. “‘Heated’ is one way to put it.”
Fancy couldn’t tell if her flushed colors were more from rage or embarrassment as she slammed the table with her forehooves and flared her wings open. “Cease thy prattle immediately or our retribution upon thy posterior shall be doubled!”
Fancy risked placing a patient hoof on Luna’s shoulder. The princess flinched in surprise from the contact. “Come now, Princess Celestia. That is enough ribbing at your sister’s expense.”
Celestia looked between the two and shined with satisfaction. “I suppose you’re right, Fancy Pants.”
The younger princess looked down at her hooves, assaulting the table and quickly righted them to the floor. Clearing her throat, she recollected herself enough to calm down, but not enough to meet the sister’s well-respected guest.
“We apologize for our behavior that evening, good Sir Fancy Pants. It was unbecoming of us to take advantage of your graciousness. We—I hope your reputation did not suffer on my account.”
The way the princess always seemed to put her presence into a negative light irked Fancy Pants to no end. Even if she tried to keep her appearances up, Princess Luna was a beautiful, warm, and fun-loving pony that anyone would be delighted to know. He wished she could see that.
“Luna, there is no need to be so hard on yourself for having a little good fun. I assure you, the only fallout after that evening was several days of wild media speculation. Even if it had, I value our friendship far more than the little media circus that came afterward.”
“Exactly, Lulu. Let me deal with the nobility. You have more than earned to have a little fun in your life.” Celestia stood up, walked over to her younger sister, and pulled her into a hug with her alabaster wings. Luna gave no resistance and accepted the feathers as she leaned into the hug. “Enjoy this new world to its fullest and see what the nightlife has in store. It was practically made for you, my precious sister.”
It warmed Fancy’s heart seeing the two sisters’ embrace. Eclipses were always far too rare in his experience. And no matter if it was day or night, they were always a precious sight to behold. A pang of nostalgia struck him as he recalled a familiar summery warmth of his mother’s wings. He took another sip of his tea as he remembered the matter he had left outside that needed tending to.
“I am sorry to cut this teatime short, your highnesses, but I just remembered I have a pressing engagement that I will need to be up bright and early to attend.”
Luna quickly broke away from her sister’s embrace. “Apologies, Fancy Pants. We are sorry if we made you uncomfortable.”
“Perish the thought, Luna. I simply recalled a bake sale a friend of mine holds every year,” Fancy explained as he began polishing his monocle. “She and her late husband built the establishment themselves and I believe they may need my help.”
Celestia frowned, having connected the dots immediately. “Tomorrow is the twenty-third.”
“Yes, Gustav is indisposed and I haven’t had time to reach out to Fleur.”
“Or Éclair?” she added.
Fancy paused for a moment. “Yes. It must’ve slipped my mind to ask her.” Truthfully, it had, but he wished it had stayed forgotten. It would give him a good enough excuse at the very least. He donned his eyepiece and collected himself from his cushion. “I apologize for cutting our teatime short, but I need to be awake even earlier than you, Princess Celestia.”
Celestia painted a smile on her face. Everypony in the room would know better, but at this point, it was probably a habitual reaction to acute discomfort. “Of course, Fancy Pants. Thank you for joining me. As always, it has been a pleasure.”
“By your leave, your highnesses. Thank you for the tea, coffee, and company.” Fancy bowed to the both of them with a diplomatic smile.
“Care to explain, sister?” Fancy heard Luna whisper.
“Some wounds take more time to heal,” she replied to her sister, but Fancy could feel Celestia’s eyes on him as he closed the door.
Fancy sighed. Having left the sanctuary of the solarium, he was free to worry once more about the problems of the world. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his planner, and scratched off the last item from his Wednesday.
The freezing mountain air battered against Fancy Pants as he walked through the cold, sunless streets of Canterlot alone. Despite yesterday’s blessed tea, he’d woken up far too early and not slept nearly well enough. There were no nightmares as far as he could recall, just restless sleep. He wondered if Luna had anything to do with that after seeing her help Vinyl’s nightmare at Cantrips. The princess would still be awake, but not for very much longer. The sky brightened on the horizon as the sun patiently waited to be called by its exemplar. She’d probably be too tired to join him for a few moments before he started his day. A shame, really. He could use the distraction.
Instead, the lone stallion stared at his notebook with intermittent lamplight illuminating the page. With the holidays fast approaching, his schedule naturally lightened up with most ponies preparing for the Hearth’s Warming festivities. While Fancy wasn’t a hearthless windigo, he kept very few obligations during the holidays while everypony else around Canterlot bracing themselves for the oncoming wintertime mirth.
As a result, his itinerary was completely blank, save for the first line:
12th Moon, 23 Thurs.
Attend Memorial Bake Sale (All-day)
With Gustav indisposed, Éclair and Fleur would be the only ones running the store on their busiest day of the year. The pastry chef could always ask Goldie Syrup to stay for the day if things were desperate, but then the sous-chef would be neglecting her other obligations. Fancy had seen the mare floating around other Canterlot establishments, helping them prepare for their rush hours before opening her own maple bar and syrup stand at the open market. Nopony else came to mind that was close enough for Éclair to let help. Not today. She always kept it the twenty-third a family affair.
Fancy couldn’t remember the last time he had visited Pâte de Lune. Despite not making a habit of going there himself, he often sang of its well-deserved praises and the talented Prenchmare behind the bistro. Éclair offered to cater many of his events, but she always insisted on showing up to serve rather than fill a buffet table and leave. Normally, that wasn’t a problem, but she was the exception. He was always such a blasted coward when it came to Éclair de Lune.
As much as he would like to, today was not a day for running away. Fancy had promised Gustav le Grande that he would offer to help them if the griffon’s claws were ever tied up. Fancy was a fool in the kitchen, but he could easily extend the patience of the patrons waiting in line to order their holiday specials with his presence alone. It was what Éclair’s useless husband would do back when the sale was a happier affair.
Turning onto Mane Street, he saw the city starting to come to life. Transporters pulled carts while the weather team busied themselves with preparing for the scheduled light snowfall scheduled for later. Fancy was glad he’d worn his heavier coat in case it didn’t warm up. Hopefully the line wouldn’t stretch too far out the door this year. If it was like the first time he’d been roped into helping, he’d be taking orders all the way down the street so the ovens could stay ahead of the demand.
Finally, de Lune came into view. The bakery bistro’s lights were off in the dining room, but there was plenty of light shining on the second floor. He pulled his scarf tighter and briskly trotted down the alleyway towards the back door. He raised his hoof to turn the familiar knob, but thought better of it and decided to knock instead. He shuffled uncomfortably for what little warmth he could muster as the biting wind blew fiercely through the narrow streets.
“Oh my gosh, Pantsy! What are you doing here?” Before he could answer, Fleur pulled him into a crushing hug. “Get inside. It’s absolutely freezing!”
Fleur shuffled Fancy through the door and shut it with her magic. The ovens in the kitchen were already glowing and filling the air with the smell of fresh breads and sweets, so he availed himself of their warmth. Fleur joined him, rubbing her hooves together carefully to not scuff the fragile leggings of her familiar maid uniform.
Unlike the normal uniforms worn by Canterlot housekeepers, the brilliant lapis lazuli blues and soft golds of the dress lined with its silk white bodice demanded the attention of anyone who caught a glimmer of its sparkle. It was layered with a silver chemise undershirt with puffed sleeves that formed into orbs like the full moon at the shoulders. A white apron embroidered with Éclair’s cutie mark was tied at the front running beneath to protect the outfit from spills and splashes. Altogether, the ensemble shimmered like an impossible midday moonlight.
“You’d think this would be warm with all the layers, but no. Frikin’ wind just blows right through this thing,” Fleur complained while inching closer to the ovens.
“Ah, the sacrifices mares make in the name of fashion. I see your mother is still adamant about the dress code for the sale.”
“At least mom can pull it off with dignity. I look more like a centerfold in Playstud.”
Fancy Pants arched his brow.
“Relax, Pantsy. I only read it for the articles.” She fluttered her eyelashes innocently.
It was far too early to deal with a flurry of Fleur-ness. While Fancy Pants preferred tea, he knew there would be a pot of black coffee for some liquid strength upstairs. He got up and walked over to the familiar spiral staircase near the doorway to the main dining room. With some trepidation, he put one hoof in front of the other and climbed up the stairs.
As he drew closer to the living space, he could hear muffled voices coming from the other side of the door separating the store from the home. ‘Odd. Syrup doesn’t usually go upstairs.’
He reached a hoof to knock on the door only for it to swing open revealing Éclair de Lune also dressed in her own Prench maid outfit. Not even noticing the stallion, Éclair leaned over the railing with a scowl on her face.
~How long does it take to answer a door? Get up here now and show Vinyl how to dress herself properly!~ the chef shouted in Prench.
“Éclair?” Fancy whispered through a hitched breath.
“Fancy Pants?” the chef gasped at the stallion’s sudden appearance. For a moment, not a word was exchanged until a big grin split the mare’s face. ~Perfect! You will do. Come, show this clumsy filly how to wear her uniform.~
~I beg your pardon?~
The chef grabbed his hoof still hanging from the attempted knock and pulled him inside. Being yanked around by mares against his will was becoming an irritating norm he needed to correct.
“You, help little Vinyle with her dress. I need café.”
“Vinyle?” He knew what it translated to, but he couldn’t imagine that her of all ponies—
“For the last time, I don’t need any help! I already tied it, see?”
As it turned out, he wouldn’t have to think too hard. If not for the mare’s gravely tenor, he might not have recognized the DJ in the corner of Fleur’s room fighting with the straps on her dress. While her colors and mark were there, the young mare looked nothing like herself. Makeup had been lightly applied to accentuate her eyes, making them appear far sharper, along with a like coating of blush. Like the others, she was also sporting the store’s signature maid attire, but only barely. Vinyl pointed at her back at the travesty of a knot she had made to tie her apron together.
“Non non non!” The mare stamped her hooves frustrated by Vinyl’s hopeless progress. “You are not the pirates tying a ship to shore! This knot is ridicule. Dear Fancy, aide la petite!”
“Fancy Pants!” Vinyl shouted, finally noticing the other pony in the room. “What the hay are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, ‘Vinyle.’”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m getting ready for work.”
“And so is he!” Éclair added. A mug of freshly brewed cappuccino caught Fancy’s nose and he gladly met the earth pony’s hoof with his magic. Of course it would be a little sweet for his liking, but the espresso hiding under the milk and foam was his true goal. “It is so good to see you.” She took a sip from her mug before poking Fancy in the side. “You stayed away for far too long.”
“I tend to keep myself busy these days,” he deflected.
“So busy you cannot see me? Your father would be so shamed.” She laughed and pecked Fancy with a faire la bise on his cheek. Fancy forced a matching laugh of his own.
“After I got the letter from Gustav, I was worried that you would be short-staffed today. It appears you’ve found an unexpected assistant.”
“But of course! Only the best for today, and little Vinyle will make it just so.” Another irritated grunt from Vinyl soured Éclair’s smile. “She looks c'est magnifique if only she could wear her dress properly!”
“I got it on already. “Vinyl grunted as she wrestled with the dress. “What more do you want from me?”
Fancy approached Vinyl and began inspecting the mare’s uniform. The DJ was right in the sense that she was technically wearing the uniform, but she wouldn’t last a second under scrutiny of even the common ponies of Canterlot. Anything that looked even mildly stifling was either poorly tied or completely undone. It would be comfortable until she began moving around de Lune and would undoubtedly cause problems later. Luckily, he had helped Fleur enough over the years to help seal the mare into her suit.
“You heard Éclair. Pardon the magic, Vinyl.” Fancy began undoing the terrible knots that the DJ had tangled.
“H-hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
He stopped his casting, letting the ribbons fall slack. “Making you presentable to the public, Miss Scratch.”
“C’mon already. I tied it just like she said. It’s got bows, loops, and everything.”
“I suppose you are right,” Fancy admitted, earning a proud smirk from the younger unicorn. “That is, if your goal was securing ice skates to your hooves,” he added, earning a withering glare.
“Fine. So, what’re the shaping spells for this?”
“Shaping spells?” Fancy paused and pondered her words momentarily. “Are those the complicated variants of ‘spark-to-life’ that Hoity Toity is always going on about?”
Fleur furrowed her brow in growing uncertainty. “Wait. Don’t tell me you’re actually gonna have to do everything manually.”
“I’m afraid so. I’m not as gifted a unicorn as you or Fleur when it comes to magic. I can barely keep track of my schedule without a pocket book, so memorizing a catalog of single-use spells is right out. Should I show you the knots still or do it myself?”
“Where the hay is Fleur when you need her?” Vinyl whined as she looked around for her more capable friend. She surrendered with a whimpering grumble. “Fine. Do it yourself. It’s not like I’m gonna wear this again anyway, if I can help it.”
Fancy nodded in reply and readied his horn. “Once again, pardon the magic.”
“Just… just make it quick, okay?”
It had been a while since he’d last helped Fleur with getting ready for the bake sale. He remembered her struggling to follow along the steps with her lack of magic control, making him realize how long he had been avoiding de Lune. Still, the intricate weave of the ribbons and strings made getting in and out a nightmare. The special maid outfit borrowed designs from classical fashions in Prance with a few extra bobs and whistles to attract the attention of less-knowledgeable ponies who would be susceptible to tourist traps. It certainly caught Fancy’s eye years before.
“Can you pull the stockings up for me?” Vinyl complied and drew the translucent white leggings up just below the shoulder where Fancy was working. Ensuring it wouldn’t bunch up at the top of the sleeve, he lowered the puffed sleeves around the upper leg and tied the strap into a tiny butterfly knot. The inner wires would hopefully stop the puffy orb’s shape from pinching while keeping a firm grip.
Fancy gave the strap one last tug before nodding. “Alright. Slip on the horseshoe and let’s get started on the other leg.”
“How much is left after this?” Vinyl asked.
“In a word? Everything.”
Fancy ignored the mare’s rising frustration and focused on the work at hoof. Once the legs were done, he asked Vinyl to remove the outer layers she’d thrown on haphazardly. He worked around the mare, ensuring every ribbon and lace was tied perfectly. With the first layer done, it was onto the ire of every fashionable mare: the corset.
Of course, Vinyl had barely strung the poor thing together properly and had to be completely removed and untangled before trying again. He directed her to adjust the chemise shirt to be as thin and evenly spread across her as possible before looping the corset around her barrel like a vice grip. Vinyl tried to voice a complaint, but bit back her words seeing how complex the criss-crossing thread was. She kept her eyes locked forward, trying to force the blushing embarrassment off of her face.
“Why does it all have to be so tight?” she squeaked out as Fancy finished securing the corset around her barrel.
Fancy laughed with a nostalgic smile as he fetched the corset cover. “I remember Fleur asking the same thing. I always told her it was to maintain the dress’ shape as you’re working, but I’d be willing to bet whoever first designed something like this never planned on wearing it themselves.”
With the primary layer done, it became a simple matter of layering the dress to ensure the balance between blue, gold, and silver ran smoothly from head to tail. Fancy quickly tied every string and ribbon into cute knots and butterfly loops that would flutter as she walked. Finally, he finished sealing the mare into her attire after smoothing out the wrinkles of the apron and tying the thick straps into a bow. Fancy lowered the gold and silver bonnet just as the first shards of light of the morning peeked in through the window.
“There. All done.”
“Great. I can barely breathe. How am I supposed to work in this thing?” Vinyl complained while pulling at the collar bow around her neck.
“Carefully, I suppose. Though, I’ve got a necktie trick that I think we can use to let this front ribbon slack a little bit.” Fancy moved over to the bow tied around her collar. He carefully adjusted the bow to loosen it without losing its shape. He then carefully used an extra hairpin to lock it down in the front like an inconspicuous clip-on tie. “There. I hope that is better.”
Vinyl drew a deep, refreshing breath through her nose and exhaled in content. “It is. Thanks, Fancy.”
“Glad to hear it.” Fancy gave one last inspection to ensure every bow and ribbon was tied properly and in its place. Satisfied with his hoof-work, he admired the fuller picture of the young mare before him. “I must say, despite your misgivings regarding your attire, you pull off the look rather well, Vinyl.”
“Don’t push it,” Vinyl spat, not wanting to hear another word about it.
“Fine, I’ll withhold my compliments in the future. How do you feel?”
Vinyl took a few practice steps in place, twirled around, and then looked at herself in the mirror. “You mean aside from suffering through a makeover and being strapped into a Prench straightjacket? Ridiculous.”
“Perfection!” Éclair exclaimed with a round of applause. She dashed over to Vinyl’s side and admired the results up close. “You look so lovely, Vinyle. Now, now. Don’t be shy. You should feel formidable, my dear.”
“Since when the hay were dresses formidable?”
“Non formidable! Formidable. It means ‘wonderful,’ which you are. But, dresses can be formidable too, Vinyle. You see, this is only part of what stole the heart of my late husband. Now, show us chassé!”
Vinyl looked between her reflection and Éclair with uncertainty. The eager mare simply gestured for her to start.
“She means ‘sashay,’ Vinyl,” Fancy clarified.
Vinyl blinked and tilted her head. Huffing a strangled sigh, she started slowly stepping from side to side in a circle to an unheard beat of music as she counted one through eight over and over. Seeing the confusion shared between her audience brought another embarrassed flush of red to the young mare’s cheeks.
“Eh? What is Vinyle doing?” Éclair whispered in concern to Fancy.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“What? You said sashay, so I’m sashaying!” the square dancing DJ complained.
“No, she meant you should strut your stuff. You know, walk with purpose.”
“Trot around like a total snob!” Fleur catcalled from the door.
Vinyl scowled and locked eyes on her flaky friend. “And where the hay have you been?”
“In yesterday's breakfast muffins,” Fleur replied and pulled a poppyseed muffin out of a brown bag she was holding. She took a careful bite to avoid getting crumbs on her clothes and placed the bag on her nightstand. “Great job, by the way, Pantsy. She looks like a million bits.”
Vinyl rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, channel your inner pretentious idiot and prance around like a noble!” Fleur demanded.
Vinyl balked at the idea. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
“Nope! We’re serving up pastries and eye candy today. And those hungry foals will just… Eat. It. Up.” She shook her tail with every sultry pause and licked her lips for good measure. Fleur cleared her throat and ran up to her friend’s side in a flash to powder her nose like a certain eccentric photographer. “Now, show us: the magicks!”
Vinyl closed her eyes and took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. Through half lidded eyes and a scowl that bore no mercy, she began her saunter around the room. Each smooth step was punctuated by an audible clack over the floor boards to inform everyone she was there and should be seen. Even the upturned nose was balanced so that everypony would see she was above them, yet nopony would see up her nostrils.
“Wow,” Éclair finally uttered, eliciting a slow nod from her daughter.
Fancy struggled to find his words as well. He dared not mention how dead of a ringer she was for Upper Crust in her stride, but perhaps emulating said mare was the point. Either way, he didn’t feel like risking an impasse with the comparison.
“Maybe try to be more approachable?” Fancy politely suggested.
The supreme gait was broken as Vinyl tried to adjust her posture, losing confidence with each step. She stopped, taking several tepid steps back and forth, experimenting with her walk. “I don’t think I can do smug and approachable.”
“I can show you some good struts later.” Popping open the bag, Fleur shoved a slightly stale muffin in Vinyl’s mouth with her magic. “Right now, you gotta eat something before we gotta start getting ready to open. It’s gonna be a long day.”
While it was clear Vinyl wasn’t fond of the delivery method, she appreciated the breakfast food and popped it into her mouth with a savage bite. It was still DJ Pon-3 under all that prim and proper dressing. Fancy wondered if anypony would even recognize her. She looked like a completely different pony, or rather, just as one would expect of a Canterlotian. While she perfectly matched the carefully crafted beauty of the other mares around him, he preferred the confidence she exuded normally in her unfiltered appearance.
With the ladies’ preparation finally done, it was high time for him to get suited up as well. He pulled off his coat and scarf revealing his own lapis lazuli and gold tuxedo vest and silvery fitted shirt. The familiar ensemble brought a wistful smile to Éclair. He reached for an apron of his own and tied it to his barrel to finish his uniform for the day.
“Now then, shall we get started?”
If you find a simple mistake in the GSP (Grammar, Spelling, or Punctuation), please let me know through a private message rather than leaving it in the comment section. Thank you for reading!
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Before I read this, I must know: Why is Fancy Pants called the Kingmaker of Canterlot?
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It is defined in more detail in Chapter 7.
I’ve been called ‘The Kingmaker of Canterlot,’ despite living in a land of princesses.” Fancy recounted with a coy smile. “Though rather arrogant for my tastes, it’s an accurate moniker that has stuck with me for some time thanks to the crowns on my flank. I’ve always had a knack for good judgement and an eye for talent.”
It's the reason why Upper Crust is so adamant in getting public approval from him back at the Festival of Flakes.
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Phrased another way, Fancy Pants is so well respected and looked up to, and so important to Canterlot society (whether that importance is real or imagined), that getting him to express a positive opinion of your actions automatically makes you important as well. Other ponies will flock around you in the wild hope that some of Fancy's approval might rub off onto them. Friendships end and rivalries begin. Street fights break out. It would be amusing if these weren't the same folks that are ostensibly running the show.
Also, I dig "hearthless windigo" in place of "Scrooge."
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Very well said.
Thanks! I liked that one too.
11029803
It's what I do.
Normally slow-paced fics tend to lose themselves on the intricate or overly rely on dialogue, but, having read the story thus far, this is an example of the slow pacing helping reinforce character interactions to a degree I didn't think possible. Arching back to your other works, I find it amusing that you manage to weave an interesting story with characters around the mundane. A visit to a store for fruit, to a barber; in here, to a bakery where the main character spends half of the chapter dressing somepony else
And yet, it works. Hell, it doesn't just work, the story dances with these sorts of plotlines constantly because of how natural the dialogue feels. I hope we get to know more about Eclair's late husband, or maybe we get an unbidden visitor in the next chapter. Eager to keep going!
Highlights:
I viscerally relate to this feeling.
Ooof, my heart
With the ladies done, it was high time for him to get suited up as well. He pulled off his coat and scarf revealing his own lapis lazuli and gold tuxedo vest and silvery fitted shirt. The familiar ensemble brought a wistful smile to Éclair
Double dead-ringer for herhusband I presume?
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I'm always worried about the pacing. It honestly is a relief to hear another person say this. I value the time of my readers, but I do want this to be a fairly slow burn. I have yet to hit the big tag directly, and when I do, I want it to have been worth the wait.
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I don't always say this to readers, but you really need to get to chapter 11 sooner rather than later. I am very much looking forward to see what you think of it after reading the first and second comments and laughing.
僕の希望は君を壊れさせたいです。
44% of this chapter is composed of a discussion over tea. It's slow, it's drawn-out, and you'd never notice a thing while you read it. It just feels natural, to once again echo Falkenlied. It's hard to write good dialogue scenes, in my limited experience and given what I've heard, yet here you are with a chapter mostly composed of two dialogue scenes, expertly woven into the overarching tale. There are no plothooks here, no overarching drama, just characters living their lives in a believable and well-told manner. Pure slice-of-life,
Well. I say no plothooks. There's very obviously something going on with Fancy, Éclair, and her husband, to the point where even Celestia is well aware of it as a sensitive subject. Looking forward to learning more about that, mixed with a little dread here and there.
Something to be said for standing out from the crowd.
Something she seems to have been quite familiar with, given earlier statements. War, that is. Never a good idea to involve oneself in a prank war between immortals. Step carefully, Fancy. Don't be conscripted.
Ooh, very interesting. What effect, I wonder, do the winds issuing forth from the gates of Tartarus have upon the lands in their path? Is there a tangible difference, or is it a solely magical effect? Of course, on Equus, magic affects everything anyway. A bit of dark magic in one's coffee beans does appropriate for the darkest coffee, though. And what does the grain have to do with the roasting process? I could even query as to the relative positions of Tartarus, Minnos, and Equestria, and the trade routes that run between those areas, to say nothing of the farming processes, but that might be a bit too much detail for coffee. Supply chains have always tickled my world-building fancy.
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Exactly! Absolutely nothing going on there. I mean, my philosophy is that if it doesn't add anything, be sure to cut it. So there ain't nothing in there.
You've put a lot more thought into it than I have.
Wow so it looks like Fancy Pants is been hanging out with Princess Luna and Celestia for at a time which that's pretty nice and then it turns out that Fleur got vinyl a job working at the bakery or something whatever they call it and fancy pants was pretty surprised to see vinyl looking like that not only that fancy offer to help out with the bakery hopefully this won't be a long day for her
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No plothooks I said. Ha! The wonders of a reread. I can't believe how littered this chapter is with hints, Rego. And I noticed maybe a quarter the first time through. Hindsight, indeed.