Secrets of the Night

Moonflower couldn't have wished to be any more conspicious than an ant when she entered Ponyville. Around her, ponies were stopping to gawk at her, and she wished she could shrink to the size of a flea. What was worse, was what the ponies were saying about her.

"Who is that?" A creamy tan pony with a raspberry mane whispered to her friends.

"She looks like a princess...but where is her crown?" A bright pink mare whispered back.

"She doesn't look like any princess I know..." A third mare hissed to her friends.

Moonflower flinched away, limping after Rarity, who acted oblivious to them. Moonflower sighed, her head low as she looked around. She wondered if she would ever fit in here, and she wondered if she had made a mistake.

What am I doing? She scolded herself, These ponies would never accept me...they already have an alicorn living amongst them. Why would they want another? She sighed to herself. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't see the commotion going on around her.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" A loud masculine voice screamed. Moonflower looked up just as a black bulk collided into her, knocking her back. She tumbled and screeched as once more, she was sent rolling in a flurry of feathers and hooves. She stopped rolling, and she looked up, spitting out dirt.

"What the flying feck!?! Watch where you're going!" Moonflower heard gasps around her as she swore. She ignored them, her eyes trained on the black figure that was rising from the ground a few feet away. Her eyes widened as she took in the dark mass of pony before her.

He was huge. Nearly massive. His coat was near black, a dark, so very dark, shade of grey. His mane and tail were pitch black, and his eyes... His eyes were blood red, pure and cold as she gazed into them. His body was slim, yet well muscled. His horn was nearly as long as hers, and as she stood, she realized he was just an inch taller than her.

Their eyes met, red and blue, unicorn and alicorn. The silence between them was tense, and Moonflower found herself frozen as his eyes broke their trance and traveled over her slowly, resting on her injury.

"You're hurt..." his voice was deep, calm, and quiet.

"Y-yes. I...I crashed last night." She stammered out, her heart pounding in her chest as she stood her ground against the large stallion.

"You should learn to fly then." He snorted, "Then you can avoid hurting yourself."

"W-well I do know how to fly! It was the landing I got wrong!" Moonflower huffed and scowled at him. The last thing she needed was a snobby know-it-all unicorn to tell her how to fly right.

He made a strange sound, a mix between a low growl and a strangled laugh, "Is that so? What did you do? Run into a bear?" he taunted.

"No! I ran into a tree! And that tree had hawks..." she trailed off as he threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep, guttural sound, and the unicorn flopped down on his haunches.

"You! You have got to be kidding me! A tree?" He continued snorting and laughing, much to Moonflower's embarrassment as he announced her accident to the whole town.

"Sh-shut up! You wouldn't have flown any better!" She shouted at him. Her cheeks were flaming and her ears burned. She kept her gaze on him, ignoring the snickers around her.

He went quiet. Very quiet. His eyes locked with hers again, and she shivered as she saw cold fury smoldering within the ruby depths. "Don't...ever tell me to shut up...you got that?" He stood up once more and stalked closer, "I don't give a feck who you are princess...but I am nopony's servant, slave, or subject." He glared down at her.

It took every ounce of her will and stubborness to not keel over in fear, to cower in his shadow. She faced him, her nose tilted up slightly as she glared back just as fiercely, "I'm not a princess..." she announces clearly for all of the ponies to hear. This caused a wave of whispers and murmuring to run fresh through the steadily gathering crowd as they watched the two ponies stare each other down.

"I am not a princess. Nor was I commanding you." She snorted, "But I do want an apology for nearly reopening my wound for your careless actions. I demand this because it is only right!"

He regarded her words carefully, his eyes searching for some way to counter her. He leaned his head back, looking down at her with an almost regal look that nearly made Moonflower melt. "Fine. Princess. I apologize for almost causing you further harm. I was reckless, and careless, and I could have made your injury worse."

Moonflower smiled, a sweet open smile. "Thank you. Now can I have your name?"

He hesitated, his gaze flicking around at the crowd. "Not here. Some ponies..well they don't exactly like me..."

Moonflower raised a brow, "Well then at least walk with me. I am going with a friend to her boutique. Would you like to come?"

He sighed, "Yes. But only because I have nothing better to do, and having a lovely mare at my side such as yourself would most definitely impove my public image." He flashed a blinding, perfect smile at Moonflower who could only squeak and blush.

Rarity trotted up just then, having realized Moonflower had been held up, "Moonflower dahling," she spotted the stallion and she let out a frightened shriek.

The stallion rolled his eyes and gave the white mare a look of distaste, "Yes, I'm absolutely terrifying. Just get it out of your system please." His voice was laced in bitterness and dripping with sarcasm, and it pierced Moonflower's heart.

"Oh um...R-Rarity? Do you think you could go on without me? Um..my new...friend here will walk me there." Moonflower smiled sheepishly at Rarity.

"My, my..." Rarity raised a brow at the alicorn, "Change minds much?"

"W-well, he ran into me...and he kinda hurt me a bit, so...I uh..he said he would buy me a drink and then walk me to the boutique!" Moonflower smiled and gave the stallion a look.

He caught on quickly, "Yes, that's right. I wanted to make up for my mistake of running into Miss...um...her. And I do sincerely say that I will return her to you once I have fulfilled my sworn oath to her." The stallion flashed another smile at Rarity, though this one was less warm, more business-like.

Rarity narrowed her eyes, "Fine...that was most generous of you. But I want her at my boutique in TWO HOURS. One minute more, and I will hand you to Fluttershy on a silver platter with only the finest of seasonings, do I make myself clear?"

The stallion's eyes widened the tiniest bit, "Yes ma'am. Crystal."

"Hmph!" Rarity tossed her mane and trotted away, and Moonflower looked back at the stallion.

"I was serious about that drink. These ponies want to baby me."

He snorted in amusement, "I can tell. However, I call it overprotective and pushy."

She sighed, "Can we just go get that drink now?"

The stallion chuckled and held out his foreleg for her, "Of course..."

Moonflower smiled and took it, feeling a growing bud of attraction for the stallion. She walked with him, her mind relaxing slowly.

Whoever he is...he is nice...I think I might grow to like this stallion. He is certainly a charmer...

Moonflower strode into the bar with the stallion, whose name she still had not learned. Her eyes were trained on him as they walked, side by side, having let go of one another before they had entered. Ponies stopped to gawk at the strange pair as they laughed and spoke quietly to one another.

The stallion had proven to be quite a gentlecolt, and even now he offered her a seat before taking his own. Moonflower sat at the bar counter, and he sat next to her, one elbow resting on the countertop as he placed his other hoof on the small of her back. The small, light touch sent shivers down her spine.

"What do you want to drink, princess?" he asked with a smirk, his red eyes glimmering as he teased her.

"What do they sell here?" She inquired, a playful smile on her lips as she gazed back at him.

"Anything from beer, to whiskey." He answered and snorted, "Hey!" He turned his head to look at the bartender, "Two shots of the strongest whiskey you have!"

The bartender nodded and turned away to prepare the drinks. The stallion turned his attention back to the alicorn, his eyes drinking her in, "So what is your name, princess?"

"Moonflower," she answered and leaned closer, "Now tell me yours."

He raised a brow, smirking, "Not even going to ask, huh?" He laughed, "Very well. Name's Umbra. Like a shadow." He nodded to the bartender as he set the shots down near them. He picked them up in his magic and handed one off to Moonflower.

Using her magic, Moonflower took a glass, sniffing the golden-clear liquid curiously. She crinkled her nose and looked up at him.

"Well?" Umbra asked calmly, "Drink up."

Having second thoughts, Moonflower tilted her head back and sucked down the drink. Her eyes widened, and she coughed and spluttered as the burning alcohol slid down her throat.

Umbra watched her in amusement, his ruby eyes glittering. "Let me show you how it's done princess..." He downed his drink swiftly, barely shuddering as he slammed his glass down on the counter.

"Whew! Oh man! It's been a while since I had that! HA!" He ordered another round and smiled at Moonflower, an open, warm smile that still held the promise of mischief.

Moonflower laughed quietly as well, "Well, I haven't had a drink in a very long time..."

"How long is that?" Umbra chuckled as the bartender set two more shots down. He took his and drank it slower than before.

"T-two thousand years..." Moonflower squeaked and snatched her drink, draining it quickly.

Umbra choked on his whiskey, and he sprayed his drink over the counter. He coughed, pounding his chest to clear it. "Wh-what?" He gaped at her in utter silence, the information stunning him to the point of speechlessness.

"I-I said I am over two thousand years old..." Moonflower looked down and sighed in annoyance.

Umbra blinked at her, "Well...I'm not really into older mares..."

Moonflower snapped her gaze to him, ready to fire a stinging retort when he held up his hoof for her to wait.

"Because I guess I'm into ancient mares!" He guffawed and snorted with laughter, his shoulders shaking as she laughed.

Despite wanting to strangle him for his awful joke, Moonflower found herself laughing with him, throwing her head back as she let out her own riotous laughter.

The two ponies laughed together, their voices echoing in the bar. The other ponies looked on, confused and concerned as the alicorn and the unicorn drank and laughed, the joke seemingly lost to them as they watched the two ponies drink.