Nighttime. It had come far over the years, transforming from a time to cower in houses and hope the monsters didn’t get you to the epitome of social interaction. Clubs, concerts, lounges – All visited almost exclusively at night.
This startling transformation had taken Luna quite a bit of time to get used to. She had no hunger for attention anymore. She was actually quite intimidated by it. It seemed like everypony in the world assigned a special meaning to the time period she had domain over. The night had transformed from scary to a weird mixture of elegance and insanity, of jazz clubs and drug-fueled raves. For a proper princess, this combination was baffling.
It was no wonder, then, that it had taken her so long to explore the new culture. Going to Ponyville’s Nightmare Night was a big step for her, but she still mostly stayed inside the castle, attempting to get common vernacular down. The fact that the last time she tried to socialize caused her to miss not only a wedding, but a major enemy invasion and the near-destruction of Canterlot hadn’t helped at all.
Still, her sister had been able to coerce her into doing some social interaction, which is the reason why she was on Alohence Street at ten o’clock, a few hours after raising the moon. Alohence was the central hub of Canterlot’s social scene, offering access to almost any kind of club or bar imaginable.
Luna surveyed the scene for a moment. There were lights so bright she could have sworn Celestia had something to do with them on most of the buildings, generally in the shape of their name. “Faceoff Nightclub,” “The Midnight Note Jazz,” “Isle of Paradise,” and “RedLight Bar” were all advertised in front of her – Although Luna had a feeling she should stay away from the last one. They all seemed a bit too intimidating…
Still, she had to move fast. Ponies were beginning to notice her, and the last thing she wanted was a scene at this hour. Still unsure of what to do, she decided to start walking.
She had gone about a half-mile down the street before a club caught her eye. It was a small brick building, with a faded sign reading “ViQuo Dis” on the outside. There was something about it that Luna couldn’t place – A strange feeling of familiar discovery, is how she would have put it. She trotted over to the door and got in line, waving the ponies who bowed up to their hooves again. After a few minutes, she got to the front, where the door was guarded by a rather large earth pony.
“Alright, is your name on th- Princess!” The pony exclaimed, shocked at the sight of one of the absolute monarchs of his country in front of him.
“Yes, we- I am here,” Luna corrected, embarrassed. She still slipped into the Royal Canterlot Voice sometimes.
“Is this some sort of inspection? If this club has done anything to displease the monarchy, we will rectify it right away,” the pony rambled, obviously afraid.
Luna couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “No, w- I merely wish to dance. My sister said I should get out more.”
The ghost of a grin appeared on the pony’s face. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? This club is a little… Underground, for somepony as sophisticated as yourself. It is not worthy of a princess.”
“I do believe I shall be the judge of that. May I go inside?” Luna asked. She didn’t really want to go anywhere, but Cellestia would never let her hear the end of it if she bailed now.
“Of course, your highness,” the pony said, bowing and opening the door. “Enjoy your time!”
Luna trotted inside, holding her head up. To her surprise, the inside was a stark – and silent- concrete room, with a bar in one corner and a table with speakers at one end. About fifty ponies milled about, bowing when they saw her. After she told them to rise, she walked over to the bar, attempting to indicate that she was just another guest. She wasn’t, of course, but she wanted to be treated like one.
The pony at the bar bowed, and she waved him up again, then asked, “Do you have Cider here?”
“Yes, your highness. Thirty varieties, all on the house for somepony such as yourself,” the barpony replied, nodding furiously.
Luna rolled her eyes again. “I will pay as normal. Please give u- me a glass of the brand you most recommend.”
The barpony nodded again, then got to work deciding what cider to give the Princess. He had to get a stepladder to reach what he eventually chose, “High Life Cider,” which was in a brown bottle with a gold cap.
“Here you go, princess. That’s normally fifty bits, but for you-“
Without a word, Luna slid fifty-five bits over and picked up her drink with magic. She turned around and glanced around the dance floor. Celestia had said there would be music, but there wasn’t anything playing here…
As if on cue, the lights went dark. Beneath the cheer of the audience, Luna could just make out some equipment being rolled out on the far end of the room. Apparently, the show was about to start.
Not thirty seconds later, the room lit up. Swirls of blue and red, with pinpricks of green and yellow dotted among them like stars, coated the walls and the floor. Luna barely had time to comprehend this before the music started.
It wasn’t like any sound she had ever heard before – It was close to a horn, but it sounded sharper, like a strike of lightning, but not as loud. Luna didn’t have a word for it, but it was mesmerizing.
The sound repeated a few times before a new noise entered in. The voice of a pony, but wrong somehow – A little too smooth, like a violin, but still sharp…
Luna sat there for a few more minutes, absorbing it. It was far-removed from the orchestras she was used to, but it still seemed to speak to her. She felt an urge to dance, but decided against it.
This music was obviously made with the aid of magic, or technology, or something. She had never heard most of these sounds before. It was enchanting.
The band – She couldn’t see who they were over the light, other than the fact it was the outline of two unicorns – finished the song, and barely allowed any time for applause before slipping into the next one.
Luna blinked a few times. Bells. She knew what that was. But then… That noise, like a pop, but…
She stood up slowly, not fully realizing she was doing it. The air was charged with electricity, or sound, or magic, or – Something. Something wonderful.
Luna slowly walked out onto the dancefloor. This was her night. Her domain. Her music.
Luna, princess of the night, began to dance.
