Luna tapped her hoof as she waited on her balcony. The moon had been up for over an hour and Vinyl still wasn’t here. She sighed, as she so often did these days, and began drafting in her head a more formal request for her proposal to the white unicorn. Yes, she thought to herself, it would have to be more formal. A widely respected pony like that. Midnight Guardian stood next to her, maintaining his vigil, as his princess was far too occupied with her own thoughts to watch over the sleeping city.

There was a knock on the balcony door. Luna opened the door with her magic and began…

“Vinyl there is-“

“Holy shhhhit.” A slurred voice said behind her.

Luna spun around. The white unicorn staggered on to the balcony, supported by her roommate Octavia. Luna gaped at the pair. Somepony had Dared to appear in her royal presence inebriated? Her thoughts actually stopped and she just stood there, her mouth open. Fortunately, Vinyl was happy to talk, no matter how enthusiastically Octavia was trying to shut her up. Midnight was just as shocked as Luna, as he stood next to her. He managed to keep his mouth shut though, being more used to “normal” pony interactions. That and being the guard on night shift, getting up as all the other, usually drunken guards staggered back to barracks.

“Well thishishish a pleasure.” Vinyl managed to get out, Octavia’s hooves trying to keep her mouth shut in the most futile effort since using Spike as Rainbow Dash during the fight with discord. “Sho, wadda ya want?”

Luna broke out the royal Canterlot voice for the first time since nightmare night during the first year of her reformed reign.

“HOW DAREST THOU TO APPEAR BEFORE ME IN SUCH A STATE. DIDN’ST THOU KNOWEST THAT THINE PRESENCE WOULD BE REQUIRED BY ONE OF THE THREE RULERS OF EQUESTRIA? WHY ART THOU DRUNK?”

“Drunk? I’m not drunk. Just a little bit pished.”

“I’m sorry your highness. She just wanted one. I made her promise to make it only one.” Octavia said, trying to mollify the stricken princess.

“AND SO WHAT HAPPENED. IF SHE ONLY TOOK ONE, HOW IS SHE SO INEBRIATED?”

“It was a pint.”

“OF WHAT?”

“Absinthe,” Vinyl answered smugly.

“Oh. Well.” Luna turned to Midnight who, upon hearing the news that somepony was still (sort of) on their hooves after a full pint of absinthe, had finally lost his composure. His jaw dropped open, causing Luna to giggle slightly. “Midnight.”

Midnight’s mouth didn’t close but his face slowly turned towards his princess, eliciting another giggle. He regained control of himself and shook a little at the thought of a whole pint of absinthe.

“I think I went to the right pony for this job.”

“Umm. What job would that be princess?” Octavia asked warily.

“I wish to commission a few night clubs. I thought Miss Scratch here, “ Luna replied, poking the subject of conversation, who giggled and swayed back and forth, “could help me liven the night up.”

Octavia nodded. It seemed like something that could work, but why go to Vinyl? Why not go to her? She voiced these thoughts aloud to the princess. Who smiled.

“Octavia. Your music is beautiful and relaxing, but it attracts the kind of cultured pony that would only make the night more boring.” Octavia’s face fell, the mix of emotions playing across it ranging from pride at the flattery, to disappointment at the decision made. “However.” Octavia’s ears perked up. “I do need someone to keep an eye on Vinyl, and who would be better but her down to earth friend and roommate.”

Octavia looked up so suddenly that her hair caught Vinyl in the face. Vinyl cooed with delight and took a bite of the “black pasta” whirling about her mouth. Octavia smacked her on the head, and Vinyl reacted in kind. Soon a small hoof fight had begun on the balcony between the two friends. Surprisingly enough, despite her state of being almost too drunk to stand, Vinyl appeared to be winning.

Luna and Midnight watched, wincing at well thrown punches, and smiling broadly. Things were getting more interesting after all.

“I place thirty bits on Vinyl,” Midnight said, grinning up at his princess.

“I’m not so stupid as to take that,” Luna replied, a grin forming on her own lips as well. She put a foreleg around her guard’s shoulders, and suddenly dug her hoof into his armpit, tickling him furiously. The grin on his faced turned into a look of surprise, followed by a look that said, in a language more easily understood as words “Oh. It. Is. On.”

Midnight launched himself onto his princess and the two friends/lovers launched into a tickle war, more furious than the raging hoof fight going on a few paces away. The noise was incredible as the drunken swearing of Vinyl was added to by the battle cries of Luna and Midnight. On one side of the balcony that, until that night, had so rarely seen any excitement, the sound of swearing and the thud of hoof meeting face raged. On the other side, a more intimate fight raged between two ponies bonded in boredom. The sounds of war ranged over the city and made it to the bedchambers of Celestia.

Celestia had been enjoying a nice dream about cake and icecream, with a side of Twilight achieving another great feat of learning, when a particularly loud cry from Luna snapped her awake. The angry princess jumped out of bed, eyes flaring and mane changing color to a deep red. The dream had been perfect, so why did Luna have to end it. She stormed down the stair, terrifying butlers and maids out of her way, and reached the bottom of the tower that her sister occupied during the night. Slowly, she started walking up the stairs, the stones of the wall glowed red with heat from the ruler’s anger as she strode by.

She reached the top of the stairs, and her eyes looked at the door, from behind which the horribly loud noises were coming. She focused her red hot anger into a lens and watched as the door instantly turned to ash. All sound from the balcony ceased immediately as the red glow of Celestia’s anger burned out over the four ponies.

Luna and Midnight stopped suddenly as Celestia burned down the door. Even Vinyl and Octavia, in their own pitched battle, stopped instantly, Celestia’s anger having the same effect on Vinyl as a cold shower and seven litres of black coffee. The four ponies lined up before Celestia and bowed, heads hung like naughty children caught stealing cookies. Waiting in silence, the four somber, and in even Vinyl’s case, sober ponies stood, ready to be rebuked.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?” Celestia screamed at them, her voice taking overtones of magic that caused strange happenings in various parts of the city.

“We just wanted to liven up the night time.” Luna said, her voice apologetic.

“WELL, FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT, YOU ARE ALL INSTRUCTED TO SEARCH FOR ALL OF THE RANDOM THINGS THAT MY FIRST SHOUT DID AND SOLVE THEM.”

“Did you do them on purpose?” Luna asked curiously. All the other ponies arrayed before Celestia looked at her, their faces clearly saying: “What the fuck are you DOING?”

Celestia smiled at her sister and sighed, her blunder caught out almost instantly by her cunning relative. Her mane returned to its normal blend of color and the stones beneath her hooves cooled back to a normal grey.

“No, I did not. It was foolish I suppose, but I was having a very nice dream.” She sighed again. Then looked back up, her expression more strict. “But you do still have to go and solve them. You wanted a more lively night, you have one.” Celestia’s eyes widened as an elephant walked down Mane Street. “A far more lively night,” she muttered.

Author's Note

I know that I said that this would be put up tomorrow, but I had an hour and I was kind of bored, so here it is. As you can see, things are escalating a bit quickly, but it will calm down a bit in the next chapter (excluding the random magical effects of course). All I can say is I'm enjoying writing this, and I hope you are all enjoying reading this. Whatever people say, that is the real point to writing, and I hope it works for you all.

Thank you. See you next chapter.