A Swan Amongst The Ducklings

Luna was really coming this time.

Fancy had assured Fleur of this many times. Tonight, there was no misunderstanding, and definitely no foal-nappings. The guest list had been gone over by Fleur herself, making this occasion the first time she had ever expressed any interest in who Fancy invited to one of his gatherings. The staff had all been promised a large bonus if everything went well, and Fancy had managed to persuade her not to promise dire consequences if they didn’t.

She had almost done it anyway, but in the meeting they’d had with the staff in preparation for this affair, Babbette had promised as much on her behalf. It seemed the entire staff was well aware of how important this was to Fleur, as none of them so much as flinched.

“Are there enough canapes, mon coeur?” Fleur asked as she looked anxiously around the room. “I think we still have time—”

“Fleur, I have enough of everything, please trust me.” Fancy replied calmly, watching her flit around the room as they saw to final preparations. His stoic nature was normally something she could draw on for comfort. Now she only found herself twice as agitated seeing that he wasn’t apparently concerned in the slightest.

“What about wine? We could break out that nice port—”

“I already have it on ice waiting for her.” Fancy said, cutting her off. He stopped her pacing with a single hoof on her shoulder. “Please, Fleur, I need you to sit down and breathe. You’re going to have our guests worried about your health.”

“Our ‘guests’ peuvent aller se faire foutre!” she spat back at him. “They are window dressing, ornamentation. She’s what’s important.”

“Please don’t tell them that.” Fancy said in that increasingly infuriatingly patient tone. “They’re actually a rather nice lot compared to our usual crowd.”

“Yes, well... so long as they are not complete imbeciles I will count myself lucky.” she sagged in on herself, sitting down as Fancy had suggested. “And you are certain he won’t try to come?”

“Blue’s otherwise occupied this evening, as I already told you. Really, he’s not such a bother as to worry about him.”

Fleur took a deep breath. “Right, right. Forgive me, I just don’t want anything going wrong this time. We’re going to have a nice evening together, just like that first night. And then I will bid her goodbye, and ask her to come back.”

Fancy let out a little cough that sounded suspiciously mocking to her.

“I mean it!” Fleur exclaimed vehemently. “No kissing this time! I won’t let it be ruined again!”

“And no flirting either?” he asked, favoring her with a deadpan look.

“No flirting,” she confirmed. “I like her very much, Fancy. I have no wish to drive her from me.”

“Forgive me if I’m slightly skeptical. After all, you never did tell me what that dream was about—”

Her face flushed with sudden heat. “That is because it was a dream, and dreams are not important! A pony cannot be held responsible for their actions in dreams!” She could feel her breath coming in great heaving gusts, and she did what she could to slow it.

“Fleur...” he said, sitting down next to her on the divan and gently caressing her face with a hoof. “I never meant that you shouldn’t flirt with her, I only asked so I might know what to expect. I agree, it would be terribly soon after settling things with her to just invite her up again, especially after how she responded the last time. But that doesn’t mean you have to treat her like some sort of porcelain statue either.”

“But... but I don’t want to risk—”

She could feel him breathing on her neck as he nuzzled her mane. “I know you're attracted to her, and you’d have to be blind not to see she feels the same. So yes, absolutely, don’t rush at her, but don’t pretend you only want to be her friend.”

Fleur leaned into his nuzzle, unable to do anything else at that moment, even if she was still a little irritated with him for being so insufferably unaffected. “It doesn’t matter—”

“Oh, but it does.” he purred into her ear. “I have entirely selfish reasoning on this. I think it would be insanely stimulating to watch you two, to mount you while you kiss her, or while you make love to her—”

“As if that’s something new,” she replied with a little pout, shuddering as he nipped at her neck.

“It would be, because she wouldn’t just be some fresh conquest to you, would she? She’s special.”

“She’s—” Fleur stifled a gasp as Fancy ran a hoof along her flank just under her dress, “She’s interesting.”

He chuckled as he pulled away, and she glared at him for doing so. The guests weren’t due for some time now, and it wasn’t as if they hadn’t actively made love to the majority of the staff at one time or another, so watching them couple wouldn’t have bothered anypony.

“She is at that. Well, let’s check on how the food is coming along.”

Fleur did her best not to fret while they waited for the first of their guests to arrive, though Fancy’s unfortunate timing wasn’t helping her mood very much. If he was going to tease her, then at the very least he could have followed through.

She could feel her panties clinging to her, and she almost shed them just to be free of the sensation. She didn’t, of course, as it would be more than a little scandalous for her to do so, and she loved her Fancy enough not to embarrass him (at least, not publicly), but she was very very annoyed with him for causing the problem in the first place. He was in for it once the guests were all gone.

Luna arrived slightly after the party had started, but that was expected as she couldn’t very well get away before she lowered the moon for the night. There was a bit of a stir when she first arrived, but their guests were not unfamiliar with royalty, and were wise enough to not stare, and only to speak to Luna if addressed by her. Their staff, on the other hoof, immediately acted to offer her a drink, and to escort her through the crowd to the host’s table.

“Ma petite!” Fleur squealed, jumping up from her seat to embrace the Princess in a sudden hug. “You came!”

Luna gingerly returned the hug, looking just a little uncomfortable in doing so, but not rejecting the embrace. “Of course. We were invited, after all.”

Fancy let out a quiet harrumph, but when Fleur looked back at him he was smiling good-naturedly. “Yes, well, third time's the charm. I suppose.”

After Fleur had disentangled herself, Fancy took Luna’s silver-shod hoof, kissing it reverently. “You honor us, Majesty.”

“Say rather, thou honors Us, Sir Pants.” The Princess replied, looking pleased. “We are happy to be received thus.”

“Fancy, I think you might be kissing the wrong end.” Fleur said, smirking. “So, shall we actually sit and talk or should I begin to praise you as well, Princess?”

Luna frowned at her, and for a moment, Fleur quailed, worried that she had done something wrong again. “I-I could praise you if you wish, ma petite! Please, don’t be upset—”

They held each other’s gaze, Luna’s stern, Fleur’s fearful and uncertain, until eventually Luna broke the silence with the sound of stifled giggles.

“F-forgive me, Dame. I was apparently too convincing. Sit, please, both of you!” Luna plopped into the nearest of the armchairs, lounging against one side with a happy sigh and taking a large gulp of her wine.

Fancy sat without hesitation, signaling to Babbette for a fresh tray of wine. Fleur sat far more slowly, watching Luna out of the corner of her eye.

The Princess’s expression remained friendly, though Fleur could see that Luna seemed hesitant as well. They each sought a return to the easy friendliness they’d shared that first night, and were now anxious of any sign of unease in the other.

“You know...” Fancy said, startling both of them. “If you two are going to be dancing on eggshells all night, I’ll need to have the band play different music.”

Luna looked at him for a long moment, the confusion growing in her eyes. “Should we be dancing? I don’t mind, if that’s the case, but I had not intended—”

Fleur reached over from her chair and punched Fancy in the arm, which only served to make Luna more confused. “My Fancy is being rude, and unhelpful, ma chère. He does have the right of it, however. I wish us to be as we were before, and I tread carefully tonight. But perhaps too much. We can laugh and jest as friends, can we not?”

Luna nodded quickly, letting out a forced-sounding laugh. “Yes, of course! We take no offense to jests, Dame. We simply wished to avoid undue offense with Our own in kind.”

“That certainly is a large elephant, isn’t it?” Fancy mused, draining his glass and reaching for another.

“We... see no elephant?” Luna replied, looking around the room.

“No, you see it, but neither of you want to talk about it.”

Fleur scowled at him, then proceeded to ignore him. “Forget the elephant,” she said firmly to Luna.

“We would gladly do so, save for that we don’t see it to begin with.” Luna shook her head. “Very well, the elephant is forgotten.”

The night passed as such nights often do. Somepony indulged too much and made a fool of themselves, but for once it wasn’t Blueblood to blame. Instead, it seemed Lady Worthingham had actually caught her husband openly kissing Lady Briarpatch (something he would have never done if not for the truly impressive amount of wine he’d imbibed), and had slapped him hard enough to send him reeling into a table. She had left in a huff, telling Lady Briarpatch to feel free to take him home, as he wasn’t welcome in his own.

Briarpatch had suddenly remembered somewhere else that she needed to be, and had left the cheating bastard passed out on the floor.

After the initial commotion, everypony went back to their conversations. This wasn’t the first spat they’d seen, nor would be be the last.

“Should we do something about the Lord?” Luna asked with wide eyes.

“Would you like to hit him as well?” Fleur asked with a twinkle in her eyes. “I don’t think he’d notice right now.”

“Is... is what he did so very different than—” Luna’s mouth snapped shut, and she suddenly found the window terribly interesting.

“His wife is not the tolerant type, ma chère. He knows this, but he breaks the rules anyway.”

“He normally has the courtesy to keep his philandering secret, however.” Fancy sighed heavily. He picked up one of the canapes and popped it into his mouth, washing it down with a long draught of wine. “She won’t forgive him easily, which is problematic, since she has the money and he has the business sense.”

“You... are aware of his betrayals?” Luna looked askance at Fancy as she asked this, her expression darkening.

“I’m aware, yes. Their marriage is... less a marriage and more of a partnership, though I think there was love there, once. As it stands she has taken her butler as a lover and he cheats quite regularly. They’re usually at least civil, unless something like this happens.”

“Oh.” Luna replied quietly, the anger slowly receding from her eyes. “So, then, both of them are quite horrid.”

“Only to each other,” Fancy said. “Taken individually they are quite tolerable. Together... they can be a bit problematic.”

Fleur chose that moment to lean over and kiss Fancy on the cheek. “Not everypony is as lucky as we are. It is very sad, actually, for I think the Lady loves him still, in her way. She will take him back, in time, and they will be passionately in love, for a time. Then it will begin again.”

“Yes, but their business will suffer for a while,” he said with a grimace. “I had hoped to avoid this for another few weeks at least. Briarpatch is unlikely to honor their arrangement now.” He set his drink down, getting up and nodding to them both. “Excuse me, ladies. I need to go get that mess cleaned up.”

Luna said nothing as she watched him go, seemingly uncertain what to make of his actions.

Fleur cursed silently as she watched Fancy help the Lord to his hooves, walking him over to a chair. At least Blue would have only made a fool of himself instead of making a giant spectacle for all to see.

“Fancy... knew this was going to happen, didn’t he?” Luna asked quietly.

“Eventually,” Fleur admitted. “They... they have a cycle, and it repeats often. Please, do not let it trouble you.”

“I’m not troubled for them, Fleur.” Luna replied, shaking her head as she looked away from the scene being made and back to Fleur. “I just... does Fancy orchestrate such things?”

Fleur stared at Luna silently for a moment before letting out a bark of bitter laughter. “No, ma petite. If he had, he would have picked a better time for this nonsense to occur, and not while you were visiting.”

“He spoke as if he had an interest in the dealings of the Lord and his mistress.”

Fleur noted the tone of accusation in Luna’s voice, and took it in stride. “This is true. Fancy watches his guests closely, and sees far more than many think. When such ‘backroom’ deals occur, he occasionally will throw some bits in, and often sees them returned many times over. It isn’t always something that happens in a guest bedroom of ours, but at times...”

“So... he simply takes advantage of other ponies’ failings,” Luna replied, her eyes downcast.

“Not so!” Fleur protested. “The Worthinghams are as they are, Luna. He simply watches to see if business will happen, and acts on it.”

“But what about them?” Luna asked. “They are as I feared you were, yet nopony seems to care for them.”

“Ma petite...” Fleur hesitated as she tried to find words of comfort, eventually sagging in defeat when she found none. “Some ponies cannot be helped, sadly. I... I am no better than Fancy, in that respect. I found myself approached by many such as the lecherous lord you see there, and I let them spend their bits on me, because if not on me, it would have been on somepony else.”

Luna was silent, still troubled. “I fear I may be infringing on my niece's domain, but I wonder if you are right. Give me a moment,” she stood, marching over towards Fancy and the fallen lord.

“Ma petite!” Fleur called after her in alarm. “Please, do not—”

Luna wasn’t listening, it seemed. She crossed the rest of the distance, then proceeded to lift Lord Worthingham bodily, staring directly into his face as she spoke to him.

Fleur hurried after her, and was only able to catch the tail end of what Luna was saying.

“—then go, you fool! If you don’t wish to divorce her, then you must come to an accord! It’s clear to everypony around you that you are both horrible to each other, so neither of you can claim to be superior to the other.” she then dusted him off with her magic, setting him on his feet. “Go, talk to her, or so help me I will plague both of your nights with terrors until you do.”

“Please, Princess, don’t punish her—”

Luna’s eyes softened, and she smiled just a little. “Tis good to see you care, in some way. Go, Lord Worthingham. Go to her, and tell her how you feel.”

He nodded hurriedly, and walked to the exit on unsteady hooves.

Fancy watched with a curious expression on his face. It was not quite a smile, but not a frown either. “I think you’ve either saved a marriage, or ended it for good,” he said quietly.

Luna sighed, nodding. “Ponies have ever thought of night time as being the time of romance, and came to me, once upon a time. I had little advice I could offer, save to follow their hearts. It was enough for most, but the heart is a tumultuous and often treacherous thing. Some needed a push to act. I hope that, perhaps, he finds some peace with her.”

The rest of the evening went by largely without incident. To Fleur, Luna seemed more relaxed and even happy after having talked with Worthingham, and there was a return to the ease of conversation they’d shared that first night.

“—animated all of the spiders in the bowl to gather into the web themselves, and demanded to know how many points that was worth.” Luna said, chuckling ruefully. “I had hoped it might help ease their minds, but they all panicked instead. I was so... very upset.”

Fleur laughed, and it was an honest, surprised laugh of one who knows what it is to be publicly embarrassed sharing the pain of another. “Quelle folie! What did you do?”

“Why, I did what any sensible Princess would do in that situation. I cancelled the holiday and went away to sulk!” Luna said with a smile, her ears wilting downwards and her cheeks blazing with a pretty blush. “It seemed appropriate.”

“This Nightmare Night business seems dreadfully amusing,” Fancy said, puffing on his pipe thoughtfully. “I wonder if such a thing might catch on here. Not the foals’ games, of course, but a sort of... masquerade ball, except with full costumes.”

“Hush, Fancy,” Fleur replied to him before swiveling her head back to face Luna once more. “First I want to know if you reinstated the holiday.”

“Well, of course I did.” Luna replied over her wine glass. She gestured grandly with it, sloshing a little over the edge to splash on the floor. “In the end, the little ones were happy, and I couldn’t take that away from them. It is... charming, in its own way. Even the adults seem to enjoy it, so I see no harm.”

“C’est beau, Luna, and you are beautiful too, for allowing it. I can only imagine how some of our friends would react if they were treated in such a way.”

“Oh, they meant no harm. It was all just a game to them. I... I simply overreacted.” Luna trailed off, gazing into her drink thoughtfully.

“Hmmm. There’s that elephant again. I should get the staff to feed him if he’s going to hang about.”

Fleur scowled at Fancy, and he smiled back unapologetically.

“I still see no elephant,” Luna said, looking at Fancy with open curiosity. “We do speak of the large creature with the tusks and floppy ears, correct? I’ve only seen one once in my life. It was nearly the size of a mature dragon,” she thought for a moment, then smiled, “He was a curious fellow, very fond of peanuts. I liked him.”

“Luna, please excuse us for a moment,” Fleur said, glaring at Fancy and motioning for him to follow her.

Luna had been staring off into space, and started in surprise when she was addressed. “Oh! Of course, Dame. Take your time.”

Fancy followed along until Fleur had lead him to a relatively quiet corner, after which she rounded on him angrily. “Fancy! Why must you tease?”

“I wouldn’t know what you are talking about,” he replied, looking terribly pleased with himself.

“You think you are being clever, but you are only being annoying,” she said with a huff. “What good do you think this will do?”

“She said it herself, love. Sometimes, ponies need a bit of a push. Is it so very difficult to talk to her?”

“About this, yes!” she hissed back at him. “I do not wish to make things awkward again! We are doing fine!”

“Fine up to a point. Then one of you treads too close to the elephant and shies away.” Fancy put a single hoof on Fleur’s shoulder, and even if she was upset with him, she did not shrug it off. “She won’t run this time, Fleur. Just say something to her. Don’t let it lie for weeks again.”

She glared at him for another moment, just to get her point across, then nuzzled into his hoof. “I... I will try, mon coeur. But please, no more talk of the elephant.”

“I’m sure he’ll leave once one of you acknowledges him, they tend to be agreeable chaps in that way,” Fancy replied with a twinkle in his eye. “Let’s not keep her waiting, eh?”

They walked back to their table with Luna, Fleur still agitated with Fancy and feeling like her tongue was made of sand at the mere thought of trying to talk to Luna about the issue neither could seem to address.

Simply talking could do no harm... Better to have things out in the open.

She still quailed at the idea, despite seeing the rightness of it. Telling her little princess she was attracted to her and would delight in bedding her was hard enough, after how horribly things had gone when she’d tried to express that directly. Attempting to explain that she felt a fondness beyond mere attraction was harder still. She was a pony that did not often find herself affected by such things, and if Luna rejected her... Better to avoid talk of that. It was enough if Luna was her friend.

But to have the possibility of being her lover was very enticing...

“Welcome back!” Luna said, wincing as she realized she’s said it a bit louder than intended. “Apologies. I find myself in high spirits this evening.”

Fleur smiled despite the turmoil in her mind and heart. “I am glad you are having a good time, ma chère. Forgive me for going away suddenly.”

“Not at all! I have wine, and food, and your company. Tis also enjoyable to see so many ponies enjoying themselves around me. Your guests seem of a less dour lot than those present during my first visit.” Luna nodded appreciatively to Fancy. “I assume you invited the more sociable crowd for this occasion.”

Fancy regarded her with a single raised eyebrow. “I suppose I may have tweaked the guest list a bit. Parties can be for both business and pleasure, and you get to know which ponies attend for which purpose. Tonight was definitely focused on pleasure over business.”

“Ah, that’s the way of it, then.”

They wiled away the night for a time, Fleur trying to be witty and fun but feeling especially dull-witted because of her conflicted feelings. Fortunately, Fancy could carry on conversations about practically anything and make it interesting, though how he wasn’t boring Luna with his views on various tax law changes was frankly beyond her.

Eventually, the party drew to a close, the various guests excusing themselves and thanking their hosts for a lovely evening. At least this dance Fleur could follow in her sleep, the steps long ingrained in her by repetition. After the last of the guests had gone, and the staff had made themselves scarce, it was just Fleur, Fancy, and their guest of honor.

“Well, Princess, it was simply lovely having you tonight.” Fancy said with a certain warm fondness in his voice that he normally reserved for his closest confidants.

“Oui!” Fleur said with a big smile. “I wish you to return to us as often as you wish.”

Luna looked at them both in surprise. “Am... am I being dismissed?”

Fleur and Fancy exchanged a look, and Fleur quickly replied. “Of course not, ma chère! You are welcome to stay, if you wish!” she turned to Fancy and whispered: “Is the guest room upstairs presentable?”

“Of course,” he whispered back. Turning to Luna he said: “We’ll have the staff ready a guest room for you. Apologies, we try not to assume such things, but I suppose you did drink quite a bit of that port—”

Luna snorted in evident amusement, serving only to confuse Fleur further. “It is as I feared..” she muttered. “Very well, the direct approach!”

Fleur watched in alarm as Luna approached her with a speed she’d not previously seen her display, until they were muzzle to muzzle. She opened her mouth to question Luna, only to have it claimed by Luna’s in a sudden but passionate kiss. Her eyes grew wide, then fluttered closed as she surrendered herself to it. She had no idea what was happening, but there was a rightness to allowing it to happen.

Luna broke the kiss, not moving away even an inch. She simply looked into Fleur’s eyes, Fleur returning the gaze feeling a sort of wonder.

She was not used to being dominated, except by Fancy, who could make her melt at a single touch. Luna was doing so by sheer force of personality and will. It was insanely thrilling.

“Well, look at that. The chap wandered off on his own.” Fancy said with a chuckle.

Luna turned to him with a guilty look. “Sir Pants, I am so sorry, I should have asked—”

“Oh, don’t stop on my account. I think you’ve both needed this for a while. But perhaps we should take this elsewhere, just as a suggestion.” Fancy gestured upstairs, beginning a casual amble towards the stairs as he did so.

Fleur watched him leave, utterly dumbfounded by the situation she found herself in. She turned back to Luna, who was still mere inches away, watching her much like a cat watches a mouse that it had already caught by the tail. “Luna, I—”

“Shhhh. The time for words has passed,” Luna said, pressing a single hoof lightly to Fleur’s lips. “Unless you wish to rescind your offer,” she amended. “I admit I would be disappointed, but I will respect your wishes if they have changed.”

Fleur could feel the uncomfortable dampness in her panties, and a swift beating of her heart. Luna’s approach was clumsy, and forceful, but it was working. She took a half step back, trying to slow her breathing. “ma chère... perhaps we should not... I like you very, very much, but I have no wish to ruin our friendship—” Her heart hammering in her chest, Fleur took another step backwards, and Luna matched it. She took two, and Luna did the same. She stopped, and Luna kissed her, all while bearing that same predatory smile.

“Do you know,” Luna said as as she pulled back from the kiss, “I have been thinking about this moment for so long. I so rarely encounter ponies who have the courage to approach me unasked, much less take the liberties you did.”

“R-Really?” Fleur asked in disbelief.

“Tis quite rare. My last was over one thousand years ago. I loved her dearly.”

There was a long awkward pause in which Fleur tried to comprehend the sheer length of time involved. “You haven’t... in over one thousand years?!”

Luna nodded solemnly, her cheeks rosy, her eyes devouring every inch of Fleur. “As you might imagine, I am... eager.”

“Y-you did not seem so very eager that first night...” Fleur said, trying to force a laugh out of a throat that seemed to be filled with her own beating heart.

Luna took a step forward, closing the distance between them once more. “I didn’t leave because I feared you, Fleur,” she said with a warm chuckle. “I feared what I would do to you.”

A squeak emerged from Fleur’s throat. She was not previously aware she could make such a sound. But then, she’d never previously been confronted with the lustful gaze of an alicorn princess. “I... I think I fear that as well, princesse.”

Luna raised a single eyebrow, and smiled. “If you fear me, then run, my little minx.”

Another squeak escaped Fleur’s lips, and she nodded very slowly, almost fearfully.

“Very well.” Luna said, walking to a nearby chair and sitting down. “I will give you a head start. Give me a merry chase, and when I catch you, you are mine, you lovely creature.”

Fleur blinked for a half second more before bolting up the stairs.