A Night With The Queen
As she walks beside me, I think back to how I met her. Strange circumstances to say the least. I often try to avoid inebriation due to the cops often walking by the bar looking for ponies drunk off their ass and booking them a couple hours for public intoxication, but I felt today that it was needed. While downing my fifth shot was when she walked in. She ordered a Jack & Jenny Daniels, and that caught my attention. I looked her over and thought her build wasn’t fit for liquor that hard, but when the bottle came by, she chugged the whole thing, payed the tab, and walked out without so much as a sway. I was surprised as were a couple of the other patrons. There had been several stallions who had drunk full bottles and stumbled towards the door, only to fall into a table. I finished my shot, payed for the drinks, and ran off and looked for the sky blue coated mare, but she had vanished. The thought that she was caught by the cops was a brief idea, but one, we would have heard the commotion outside and two, she was too well coordinated to be mistaken for drunk.
I headed home, figuring I’d forget about the mare and just let the alcohol slowly affect my brain while watching a movie. After a quick shower and movie later, the shots had started to take a toll on my basic functions. I managed to stumble over to the couch and almost knocked myself out of the armrest. I hadn’t been relaxing more than 30 seconds before the knock came at the door.
The hell, I thought as I pushed myself up, which the alcohol made difficult. I knew I’d never get to the door, so I looked for something to throw. Spotting a lightweight book, I hurled it at the door. It made a loud KNOCK and fell to the floor, getting pushed aside as the door opened. A small light blue muzzle poked in and said, “I assume that means I’m welcome inside?”
My eared perked up. I knew that voice. It had ordered a Daniels not more than 5 hours ago next to me at the bar. I used the back of the couch to hoist myself up to look at the mare. My alcohol-muddled brain proved looking at the newcomer a little difficult as she appeared to split into two at times and flat at others.
“Yeah, ‘ome on ‘n,” I slurred, my thick tongue refusing to move under its own weight as I toppled back onto the couch. I heard the door close and hoofsteps clopping across my hardwood floor. She appeared above me a few seconds later, navy blue mane tickling my nose. A smile graced her lips as she saw my drunk and uncoordinated eyes.
“Well, I remember you. You seemed to be in love with your drinks back at the bar.”
She remembers, my mind excitedly cheered. She continued to look at me for a few seconds when her light blue eyes lit up. She quickly trotted into my kitchen and started rummaging around. I tried to figure out what she was doing, when it came to me. She’s hungry, so she’s making some food. A spoon clinked against the inside of a glass and she was back a minute later.
“Sit up and drink this. It’ll help with the hangover,” she said. I tried to lift my hoof, but it seemed to have gained weight and I slumped in defeat. She sighed and lifted my head and yanked my body back so I was in a reclined position against the armrest. The mare lifted the glass to my lips and slowly poured the liquid into my mouth. As the concoction hit my tongue, my eyes bugged and my body immediately shot forward as I spewed the drink across the room.
“What in the name of Celestia is that crap?!” I spluttered, trying to get the taste off my tongue.
She just smiled and said, “Told you it would help.” I just glowered at her.
She looked around at the rather plain room. A couple pictures sat on a stand by the wall, and she walked over to them. One had my parents with a small, smiling white colt, who had an aqua mane and piercing blue eyes. A filly stood next to him with the same coloration. “Is this colt you?” she asked, pointing.
I looked over to see what she was talking about. “Yeah, that’s me. Next to me is my sister and parents. That was the year we took a trip to Las Pegasus.”
She walked back over and sat next to me with the picture. “What’s your sister’s name?”
“Mischievous Blue. Yeah, our last name is Blue. We’re the blue family.” I shrugged.
“I like blue. It’s my favorite color.”
I suddenly thought of something. “So, why are you here? In my house, I mean? Shouldn’t you be at your own place?”
“I’m on break, all the way from Argil.”
A whistle escaped my lips. “Wow. That’s a way off. What do you do there?”
She looked at me, blue eyes shimmering in the light. “My occupation? I’m the queen there. Queen Saffyre.”
I nearly fell off the cushion in surprise. A queen, in my home! “But, that doesn’t answer my question. Why are you in my home? Why not a hotel or even the Canterlot castle? I’m sure Princess Celestia could have set up a room for you.”
The queen shrugged. “I like to live as a civilian when I’m on travel. Sometimes, being a ruler can become overbearing, and I like seeing how everyday ponies live their lives. It’s a fun experience.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve been ‘a civilian’ all my life,” I mutter, my face turning a light shade of red when I realized that I just mocked a queen.
She used her hoof to turn my face to hers. “As long as I am on vacation, I am a citizen of the town. I have no more power than the average pony walking down the street. I could even be arrested, but I prefer to avoid that because that could be an embarrassment for my country.”
“That makes sense, but I want an answer as to why you are here,” I prodded.
She sighed, blowing some of her mane out of her face. “I just chose this place. An ordinary house, just perfect for a queen on break. I’ve lived in a castle all my life, so a mansion or suite simply wouldn’t do.” My dumbfounded expression must have been pretty damn funny, because she couldn’t hold in her laughter. She laughed for so long, I was wondering if she was ok.
I glanced at the clock and realized it was starting to get late. My stomach was starting to alert my body that I was getting hungry. “Do you want to get something to eat? I know a place that serves decent food pretty late.” The queen was able to pull herself together and say she would love to while wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
Half an hour later, we were sitting on the deck of restaurant, looking at our menus. The night was relatively quiet, only a few ponies and taxis passing by. The moon was full tonight and bathed the land in beautiful blue light. Looking over the top of my menu, I occasionally spotted the queen looking up at the lunar orb.
I cleared my throat, and her eyes fixed on me. “So, tell me about yourself. What’s your name, hobbies, stuff like that?”
She put her menu down and looked up as she thought. “Let’s see. My name is Blue Saffyre, but I prefer Saffyre. My hobbies are basically any outdoor activities; I love nature. I also like food, alcohol, bless you, and anything fun.”
After the snicker at the mention of alcohol being a “hobby,” I managed to regain my previous self-control. “And what do you dislike?”
She raised a dark blue eyebrow. “Why, do you plan on doing a couple after we’re done with dinner?” I assured I wouldn’t and she continued. “I don’t like ponies who are mean, two-timing mules!” She waved at a mule sitting a couple tables away and he waved back. She lowered her voice and said, “I also don’t care for sappy ponies or ponies that pity themselves to an extreme level.”
I nodded. I was often that pity pony, but had been trying to express more enthusiasm to gain a more positive lifestyle. Of course, there were good days and bad days. After ordering and receiving our food, we ate in relative silence, sometimes glancing at each other. The moon slowly climbed higher as we finished our meal. I payed the bill and we started walking back home together. The walk was mainly the same as the meal; complete silence as each of us was caught up in our thoughts. I was thinking back to how I met her.
When we got back, she laid down on the couch and sighed deeply. I had been itching to ask this question for a while, so I took this moment of peace and relaxation. “So, are we going to go out for dinner again sometime?”
She turned her head to look at me. “Maybe, if you play your cards right.” She was silent for a second before she asked, “It occurred to me, you never said your name or hobbies. What are they?”
“My name is Damascus Blue. As for my hobbies, that will have to wait for our next date.”
She smiled, with a glint in her eye just like my sister that earned her the name Mischievous. “You’re on.”
The End
Author's Note
I'm really surprised at how much attention this story has gotten compared to how much my new stories usually get. Although it didn't win, I still consider this story one of my best, even with the restricted time slot in which to finish and submit it. Constructive criticism is appreciated.
