Wish Gone Awry. Enter Equestria! Enter New Life!

"Well, that was about as relaxing as I thought it would be," Julius smiled as he and Rainbow Dash left the massage room. "Though I must admit, with the male-to-female ratio, I would have thought that the masseuse would have been a stallion. I'm not complaining or anything; it was just a bit surprising," he said as the two reentered the main area.

"Yeah, all these places have at least a few mares employed," Rainbow Dash told Julius. "Most mares are willing to get it on with another; besides, when a stallion comes by, they usually prefer to be serviced by a mare," she said with a slight chuckle.

"I'm guessing that you got fully serviced, so to speak," Twilight suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"You better believe it," Rainbow Dash smugly said. "You know, in a weird way, it feels good to do a favor for somepony. Well, as long as it's something like that," she said with a sly wink.

"The usual deal?" Twilight asked.

"The usual deal," Rainbow Dash smiled back.

"I figured that you'd take that deal," Fancy Pants said as he walked out from another room. "Honestly, most of us do. Why did you take it, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well, the good book says to 'spread thy seed,'" Julius jokingly said. "But honestly, mostly because I'm pretty horny. One hundred percent selfish there," he admitted with a nod.

"That's entirely fair," Fancy Pants said with a nod. "It's one of the more common reasons, but still a perfectly valid one. Now, shall we leave? I believe there are a few clubs around that would allow us a quick look around," he suggested.

"That's because you're an arch-duke, dear," Fleur flatly declared. "Even if you're just showing somecreature around, it'll boost the prestige of any place you go to."

"True, still though, it's a genuine offer. Besides, all that other stuff is ancillary. Somepony has to show our guest around," Fancy Pants conceded and confirmed.

"Sure, I kind of want to see what these clubs are like. Like, what kind of music do they play, how is it broadcasted, how do ponies exotically dance? And things like that," Julius said as the group left the parlor.

"I'd imagine that our dancing is quite different from yours. I'm not quite sure why, but I suspect that your kind dances a lot like the younger dragons. While they're about your sized and not the size of several large buildings," Fancy Pants suggested as the group walked down the street.

"Dragons, dancing?" Julius said with bemusement. "Oh, that brings back bad Pokemon memories," he said as he looked away from the group. "Stupid Winona," he quietly murmured under his breath.

"I have not heard of this Pokemon. And for years, I've lived in the Everfree from dusk to dawn. Such bad memories do spark some interest, though. Tell us, what are these things, so that we can be in the know," Zecora said as the group walked by a few smaller buildings.

"It's a stupidly large game series; Spike would love it, maybe Fluttershy, and maybe Rainbow Dash," Julius said while sparing a quick look towards Rainbow Dash. "The bad memories comes from an Emerald Nuzlocke. The sixth boss has a dragon-type Pokemon that knows Dragon Dance and can easily beat your whole team. You know things are bad when you're relying on a Castform to win," he said with a bittersweet laugh.

"Winning by dancing? Pinkie Pie would approve," Twilight smiled while Fancy Pants and Fleur slightly shuddered.

"Well, there's a bit more to it than that. If I get the chance, I'll show you the game. Honestly, there are some things in the games that I really want to show Celestia and Luna," Julius lightly smiled as he suppressed a laugh.

"I really wish you didn't bring up dancing," Fancy Pants said as he regained his composure. "Speaking of, Twilight, you have gotten dance lessons, correct?" He asked as he and Fleur eyed Twilight.

"Yes, I've learned from Cadance," Twilight confirmed while Fancy Pants and Fleur looked even sharper at Twilight. "What?"

"Cadance doesn't count," Fleur flatly told Twilight. "Cadance never properly learned to dance. Please, Twilight, if not for your sake, then for the sake of every other being, learn to dance from a certified dance teacher," she requested while Twilight looked oddly at the two higher nobility.

"Well, if you say so. But I don't see any problems with my dancing," Twilight conceded with a sigh.

"You may not, but trust me, those who've seen you dance would say otherwise. Trust me, Twilight, most ponies are too polite to say anything. But it is something that needs to be said if you insist on dancing," Fleur calmly told Twilight.

"Fine, do any of you know how to dance?" Twilight asked as the others shook their heads.

"Of many things I do know; some for purpose, others for show. Asking for my help will lay you're dancing low, though there should be many others that can help you feel the flow. Dance teachers, there are many who exist. There's quite a list of creatures who can assist. Though I know of none, I know that they are around. If you search, they will be found. As for my kind, we do have dances. But they're for ritual, not mere prances," Zecora told Twilight.

"There are quite a few here in Canterlot. If you insist on dancing, might I recommend Simona Allard Beaufort-Blanchet? She's one of the most well-renowned dance teachers to the nobility. While you are from the lower nobility, lower nobility is still nobility," Fleur suggested.

"Isn't she booked solid for months?" Twilight asked as she tilted her head.

"Yes, and no, things often change with the booking when nobility are involved. If you book lessons, they very well could get bumped up," Fleur told Twilight as the group walked up to a building.

"I see," Twilight said as the group saw a pony with an apple cutie mark standing outside a building.

"I know this will sound a little racist, but think that pony knows Applejack?" Julius joking said as the pony perked up a bit.

"You know cousin Applejack?" The stallion asked as he walked up to the group.

"Sure do," Rainbow Dash confidently said. "Though I don't think she's ever said anything about you," she said while scratching her head.

"That's understandable," the stallion said with a nod, "the Apple family is quite large. I'm Braeburn. I'm from Appleloosa!" Braeburn energetically said as he happily bucked up.

"This is quite a ways away from Appleloosa," Twilight commented. "Why are you so far from home? And while in this district of Canterlot?"

"Oh, just negotiating trade deals, requesting support, the usual business stuff. As for why I'm in this district, well, the owners of establishments are always looking for stallions, even if they're only temporary. It's a good way to make some extra bits. Maybe use those bits to grease some hooves to get the support we need. If not, we can try to use it to solve the problem on our own," Braeburn explained with a sigh.

"While Appleloosa isn't in my stewardship, I can guess what the problem is. The native buffaloes in the region, correct?" Fancy Pants guessed.

"You'd be correct. The buffaloes keep stampeding through our lands. While the land they're going through isn't used at the moment, it's extremely fertile. We plan on planting a whole orchard there, but if the buffaloes keep stampeding through, I don't know if we'll be able to use the land. If we do, I fear it might start an incident or something," Braeburn confirmed with a tired sigh.

"I thought as much. I'll talk to Duke Briar and Count Neighvis about it. I cannot promise that they'll do anything right away but give it, maybe a year or so," Fancy Pants hummed as he racked his brain.

"That's the problem with you, nobility," Braeburn sighed as he stamped a hoof. "These things can't wait until next year. If they're not resolved soon, there could be a serious problem," he complained.

"And that's the problem with you peasants," Fancy Pants sighed back. "You think that diplomacy can be done right away, it cannot. There's travel, expenses, learning the culture, learning the problems, and getting other affairs in order. If we just ran off at the drop of a hat at a problem, we'd likely end up escalating the situation while ignoring others we're working on fixing. Either you can wait and have the problem properly resolved, or try to solve it yourself and risk a needless escalation," he offered.

"And while we wait, we'll suffer," Braeburn argued.

"And if we just run off right away, you very possibly could still suffer, and others would also suffer," Fancy Pants argued back. "Look, this is neither the time nor place. We're here to show our friends around. You wouldn't happen to know of any club that wouldn't mind, do you?"

"Well, all the clubs are closed at the moment. But I could ask the headmare of this one. She's preparing for a special event, so last night's show was the last one for a little bit," Braeburn explained as he walked into the build. "You-lot wait right there."

"Well, he seems nice enough," Julius shrugged.

"To be perfectly honest, he seemed like most of the lower classes," Fancy Pants said. "They always come to us with their problems and expect us to solve them immediately. Even Celestia takes a bit of time to solve problems. Proper solutions take a bit of time to work out. Unfortunately, few of the lower classes understand this. It's already caused problems in Severnaya. Steel Stallion almost threw the region into full revolt, but fortunately, Arch-Duke Rock managed to calm the situation, but at a high personal cost. Still, Severnaya is quite unstable."

"I kind of see both sides of things. The lower classes want their problems solved as soon as possible, and they think that the nobility are just a bunch of fat layabouts when they aren't solved in a day or so. While the nobility tries to solve the problems, but the lower classes don't give them enough time, so they think that the lower classes are just a bunch of complaining nuances," Julius said.

"Broadly speaking, correct. There's a bit of truth to both sides," Fancy Pants confirmed as Braeburn walked out of the building.

"Madame Freesia will see you, but only for a short time. She's quite busy getting things ready," Braeburn told the group.

"Great, let's enter then," Fancy Pants smiled as he ushered the group inside.

"Wow, big room," Julius whistled as the group entered a large ballroom with a raised stage.

"Yes, we'll need it for the upcoming event. Besides, most nights, we're packed with randy mares," a posh, well-dressed mare said from the stage. "I'm Madame Freesia. I'm guessing that you're the guests that Vaquero here told me about," Madame Freesia said as she eyed the group.

"That's right," Julius said with a nod. "We were told that there's some event that's happening here soon," he said as Madame Freesia walked up to him.

"That's right, in a few days," Madame Freesia said as she walked up to Julius. "Foreign, so, you're exotic, and we always have mares looking for that kind of thing. How about working that night? I could sign you on for the event at the standard exotic rate. If I had to guess, you could make five hundred twenty-three bits, plus about a thousand or so per mare you personally service per night. Well, minus the fee, but even then, you'd stand to earn close to eight thousand bits for the whole event," the mare offered.

"Well, that's very tempting; I'd have to, hey, wait a minute," Julius stopped himself before getting too swept up, "I have my own herd to service," he said with crossed arms.

"So do most of the stallions who we hire. They can come and watch for free, though joining in with the personal service depends on the mare in question," Madame Freesia told Julius.

"Oh, Madame, where can Vinyl set up her equipment?" Octavia asked as she walked up to the mare. "Oh, I wasn't expecting to run into you here. Are you working the night too?"

"Maybe. Honestly, I'm just touring Canterlot," Julius responded.

"I see. Well, now's a good time if you want a nice, peaceful tour. Though, if you work the night," Octavia started to say as she eyed Julius. "Yes, this could work. Vinyl's been wanting to try something a bit new. With a pony, well, it'd be a bit awkward. But with a dragon, or you, or well, some creature with your shared body shape, it could work. Do you think we could requisition you for the night? You wouldn't be working in a normal role, but rather, a roll directly under Vinyl," she offered.

"Now, hold on here, just what exactly are you planning?" Madame Freesia asked while she eyed Octavia.

"Well, you see," Octavia said as she moved closer to Madame Freesia; whispering into her ear, the mare made a variety of expressions.

"That's really perverted. I like it," Madame Freesia said with a smile.

"What's she planning?" Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Julius all asked at the same time.

"Best leave that a pleasant surprise," Madame Freesia said with a wink. "Honestly, you should take the deal. If I were a stallion, then I would," she suggested to Julius.

"Ummm," Julius hummed as he looked at the members of his herd. "I guess," he said with a shrug as the mares gave him a reassuring nod.

"Great, I'll let Vinyl know!" Octavia happily said. "Oh, before I go, I have to know. Are you open to siring?"

"Yes," Julius and his herd all quickly answered.

"Fantastic, I'll let Vinyl know," Octavia said with a smile as she walked off to the back rooms.

"Well, it looks like you'll be busy those nights," Madame Freesia said with a wink. "Now, what you see here is all there is that's open to the public," she said as she waved a hoof around the ballroom. A large stage dominated the room, but there were a few smaller ones with some chairs and couches, and a well-stocked bar stood off in a corner. "Now, sadly, I cannot show you the back rooms or the private rooms as they're for employees. Well, the private rooms are also for paying guests, but, well, you know what I mean," she told the group.

"Understandable. I'm guessing I'll be shown around when I come by to work the event," Julius said as he looked over the room.

"Exactly. Just come by a few hours before the event. It's in three days, starting at seven pm, so try to show up around five pm," Madame Freesia told Julius. "Of course, your herd is welcome too, but, with what Vinyl wants, I suspect they'll just be watching," she slyly said.

"Still, it'll be nice to see the show. From what I remember, the bars have very good food. A bit pricy, but still good," Twilight hummed.

"We try to please all the senses," Madame Freesia smiled softly.

"I can tell," Twilight smiled back. "We should be getting back now. I want to see what the others are doing."

"Yeah, I'm wondering that myself," Julius said in agreement.

"Alright, see you in three days!" Madame Freesia happily said as she waved the group goodbye.

"So, back to the castle then?" Fancy Pants asked as the group nodded back. "Excellent, I have some work to do," he pleasantly said as the group headed back to the castle.