It wasn't that Cadance wasn't sure how much time had passed dancing with Luna; it was that she simply wasn't paying attention. The smaller amount of drunkenness as opposed to last time meant she actually had the acuity to try to dance in creative ways, more to the style of this particular bar. The party goers were a lot more invested in choreographed moves, rather than shaking and bouncing.

Silver kept up her music on the stage, switching between old rock and swing. At some point a few ponies joined the stage with her and were in the midst of singing the vocals to a song they all clearly knew. Once the shanties started, Silver slipped off the back of the stage and snuck her way back to the bar. Cadance, who was watching Silver instead of Selene, decided to walk back over to the bar. She tapped Selene and told her of her intent, but the disguised Luna was far more invested in having fun.

Just to make sure Silver doesn't get into any trouble

It also struck Cadance that Selene may have better reflexes when it came to drinking, but was still probably trashed at the moment.

That was a lot of vodka

Cadance slipped through the crowded with a grace that surprised her. Grinding her hooves against the plastic façade tiles to make sure her stumbling momentum didn't throw her into any nearby party goers. She watched Silver take her place at the bar and slumped forwards as Cadance exited the crowd of colours and approached, slowing her steps as she got closer.

Silver was hilariously difficult to read, the same as Celestia. Cadance was starting to get better at it though, just enough that she could feel the battle going on just behind the wall she had over her mind.

Cadance stepped up onto the seat next to her and set her face into a neutral frown. Silver strained out a chuckle, "Great... Now I've even got Love throwing pity my way."

Cadance didn't respond, and Silver's left ear twitched. She spun around in her seat, looking out into the crowd. Resetting her pose, lounging with a glass in hoof. The moment passed with the beat of the song the ponies were all cheering to, just as the next one started. Some brave pony being the first to raise their voice over the crowd in song.

"I-" Cadance tried

"Don't." Silver scrunched her eyes closed, "Just don't. This is meant to be fun. Not therapy sessions with Cadance. You intentionally ruined my night trying to manipulate my relationships." Silver opened her eyes again halfway through her admonishment, staring out into the crowd. Whatever fun Cadance was having slipped away.

She felt bad. She hadn't done anything wrong, but it still hurt Silver.

It isn't fair.

Cadance tried to see what Silver was looking at, tipped off by the fact Silver would be making eye contact normally. She couldn't, but it wasn't hard to guess what was taking up the mare's mind.

"She was really nervous about this wasn't she?"

The question lingered in the air. The white noise of the bar fading into the background, clearly by spell.

"Yeah."

Silver shook her head.

The moment dragged on. Cadance wanted to say something, but recognized that there was nothing she could say. The depth of the issue she had grazed was too far from her to say something as cliché as 'I'm sorry'.

"Invite her back next week."

Cadance did a double take, "What?"

"You heard me." Silver nodded, "Invite her back next week."

Cadance started on, waiting for Silver to continue

"She needs it. Clearly." Silver's eyes snapped to Cadance's, "But be aware that if you ever pull something like this again; I will take from you something you cannot get back." The threat lacked Silver's normal playful attempt at being intimidating, merely a promise.

Cadance suppressed her concern and nodded, "I liked your music."

Just like that, the noise returned, and Silver smirked, "Yeah, I figured you would. I took you for a jazz mare."

Cadance sighed internally, wishing she could say more. Do more.

"Jazz?" She felt the fake expression slide onto her face, the emotions behind them incredulous. "Please, as if."

"What? You're telling me you have higher standards than jazz? What's wrong with jazz?"

Cadance's chest twisted, telling her that this wasn't right. This wasn't how you were supposed to treat pain. This was all the wrong way to deal with verbal tension.

"Nothing's wrong with jazz, I'm just more of a funk mare." Cadance tilted her nose up, the words slowly beginning to come to her easier.

Silver gestured out to the crowd, "Well the crowd is ready. Properly prepped, and other alliteration aside, I did say you could do one, heart song tonight."

Cadance put a hoof to her chin, "Is this what that music I kept hearing outside your... uh"

"Just call it home, I don't have a better word for it either" Silver waved a hoof

"Home? Were you practicing?"

"Yeah." Silver's eyes had gone back out into the crowd ever since her threat, still likely on the dancing form of Selene

Cadance tilted her head, "But I heard you practicing before we agreed to do this, before the gala? How did you know?"

"I didn't. Remember that I suggested doing this." Silver gestured to everything around them, "It was just a backup plan I was preparing, just in case it happened." She spun back around and put her empty glass on the counter, and continued as she pushed herself back onto the floor, "I had a lot of free minutes I had to wait in those first few weeks, so I spent a lot of that time practicing old plans. Making sure my skills were up to snuff."

Cadance got down too. Following Silver's steps as they wandered up towards the stage. As they got closer to the excitement, Silver had to raise her voice for Cadance to hear, "Go for a four, I've got the musical accompaniment, just give me a start and I'll roll with it." As they reached the stage, Cadance took up the foreground as Silver stepped towards the back, levitating a spectral bass into her hooves.

Cadance stepped up to the mic, much to the excitement of a particular mare in the crowd.

Silver started off with a slew of electronic noises Cadance had never heard before, she wasn't even sure the noises could come from an instrument... But she liked them.

Just as the first instrumental line finished, Cadance began

Hey baby where you going,
This night is oh so young.
We've got a moment to spare
I'm solidified in your crystal eyes
So tell me is it magic,
Or is it something more?
You've got a burning passion
Your sweet allure-
-Dancing out on the floor

Cadance shifted her stance, bouncing in place

You've got me on the ropes
And I can't help but stare,
It's natural attraction
My breath is short-
-And I'm gasping for air!
You think I'm by myself
But I've been waiting for you
Tell the DJ to play it slow,
The club is packed but
Tonight it's for two

Silver joined her at the mic for the chorus

Sweet love
Will you take me away
Oh mi amore light it up-
-And send me into space

Sweet love
Your fire's out of control
But I love how it feeeeeeeels!

From there, there was a series of electronic body shaking noises as Cadance spun the mic stand, bringing it down to chest level as she leaned down and continued,

Hey baby where you looking?
Your eyes are all on me,
Oh please I think I'm blushing
You got me with your sensibilities.
Oh baby gimme a second!
I think I'm losing steam!
You want to get a reaction!
I pinch myself-
-I guess it's not a dream

Silver and Cadance rapidly switched places on the stage

You've got me on the ropes
And I'm danglin' here.
It's natural selection,
The tables turn-
-With your words in my ear
I think you're by yourself
But you've been waiting for me
That evil smile's got me nervous-
-But I'm still here saying please

Plenty of ponies in the crowd joined in on the chorus, finding partners to spin or twist around with

Sweet love!
Will you take me away
Oh mi amore light it up-
-And send me into space

Sweet love!
Your fire's out of control
But I love how it feels

Cadance, stood, flaring invisible wings to keep herself upright as she turned her back on the crowd, turning her head so the mic was still visible,

Parked in the back
Show me all that I lack
All I'm hearing is your breath on my back

Check it out,
Lemme be your eighth wonder
I'll bring you back a drink in a sec

Put on the grooves
Show me all of your moves
Got a rhythm and I'm ready to jive!

Play that beat
Better get on your hooves
Cause my mare gonna play that guitar funky right now

Silver proceeded to do just that, filling the room with sweet, funky, artistic auditory rhythm. Just as the solo was ending, the crowd retook a patterned choreography, the music of the room tilting as ponies dove and swung from one side to the other. Silver made an amusing face of concentration as she rapidly drove her hoof over her magical instrument.

Hey baby where you going?
This night is oh so young,
So tell me is it magic
Don't call it chance
When you're falling in love now!

Tell me baby is my temperature rising!
Is it me or is it you!?
Got a fever that's starting to break-
-At the end of the week with nothing to do

Cadance huffed for breath, one more left.

We got us on the ropes,
And we can't help but stare.
It's natural attraction-
-Our breath is short
And we're gasping for air,
We thought we were alone
But we've been waiting for this
Tell the DJ to play it slow
As we lean in close-
-And give in to the bliss

Sweet love!
Will you take me away
Oh mi amore light it up-
-And send me into space

Sweet love!
Your fire's out of control
But I love how it feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeels!

Cadance spun away from the mic in an open dance move, the only thing saving it from falling off the stage was Silver catching it just at the end of its ark. Transitioning the remainder of the song in an instrumental as the ponies stomped their hooves and Cadance caught her breath.

Holy crap...

Cadance gave herself a wicked smirk as she slipped off the stage faster than necessary. She did a little dance once she was out of the spotlight.

I just did that!

Silver offered her to do a heart song, but nay!

I, am, incredible!

She reached the edge of the bar and pulled herself back onto her chair. At least one of the ones nearby where they had sat. The next song had already started, but the buzz of successfully wowing a crowd still filled Cadance's mind. She tried her best to get over the... 'roughness' of the night with her excitement.

Goodness, my head is a total mess right now.

"Allium!" A wing wrapped around her shoulder as Selene hopped up onto the stool next to her, a little woozy, yet the disguised Luna clearly knew how to hold her drink. "I have never seen you sing like that!"

Cadance, ignoring the verbal hiccup, "College taught me something about crowd work at least."

Selene didn't understand her joke, but laughed anyway. Silver joined them a second later. "So! I think that's just about everything I was hoping for from tonight. Aside from a bar fight that is."

Cadance leaned over Selene, "Maybe next time Silver!"

Silver falsely lit up in excitement, "Really?"

Selene giggled from above Cadance

Silver continued, "Anybody got any stories while we're 'laxin?"

Cadance looked to Selene, who struck an intensively exaggerated thoughtful pose. Cadance pushed her tall blue drink in Silver's direction. She took it in her hoof, but left the cup on the table while she gazed on at Selene humming to herself.

Eventually her hum resolved and loudened into words, "Yes! I have a story to tell."

"Well go on then. I'm curious as to what you get up to in the E.U.P. haven't been in the military in four or five lives."

Selene frowned, the look of remembering she wasn't herself at the moment flew across her face before she looked to Cadance for assistance. Cadance, hoping to at least make up for ruining Silver's mood, decided to come to the rescue, "You've served before?" The question was directed at SIlver.

"Not Equestria, no. In general, yes. Never any leadership positions. I was always on the ground, it's honestly not a very interesting story as a whole, or split up." Silver shook her head and leaned back against nothing. Which looked very precarious as she took a sailor style swig of the glass attached to her limb. Returning to a semi-normal pose, she continued, "Most of it was waiting and exercising. The few times I saw combat aren't something I should, or want to, talk about."

"What about your comrades?"

"I treated them like adults, never made any friends."

Selene chimed in, "I do not know why, but that seems incredibly like you."

Silver smirked, "I'm not exactly what you'd call a subtle personality." She pointed at Selene, "And it's 'don't' not 'do not', you need to use more contractions. I dunno where you come from, but in Equestria, we use contractions."

Cadance tilted her head, "Isn't it technically more grammatically correct to forgo contractions?"

Selene opened her mouth, but Silver beat her to the punch, "Sure, if you're basing the living language mechanics off of what it looked like two hundred years ago. The rules change, so do people." Silver rolled her eyes, "That being said, several of the changes are severely annoying, I'll admit with no shame."

"You've got that right. Modern Ponish is a mess." Selene commented

"I'll drink to that." She did indeed, do that.

Guess it's not to strange for a trio of immortals to get into a conversation about the nature of aging language rules when they're out a bar.

The environment told Cadance that the conversation should be about stallions... or something equally inane, like complaining about shampoo, but such was their particular experiences and lives that led to the surreal experience that Cadance was currently trying to fit into a box in her head.

"So? E.U.P.?"

"Ah, well, I only know of the night operations, being that of myself."

Silver raised an eyebrow and adopted a sly look, "I see, I heard some rumors that Luna's personal night guard doubled as a special ops team for the E.U.P."

Selene shook her head in amusement, "I will not confirm or deny that."

"Where did you even hear that?" Cadance said over Selene, partially incredulous.

"I have a friendly source of information." Silver hid her glib expression behind her glass as she sipped it lightly.

"That breeds immeasurable concern in my mind." Cadance laughed at the end of her phrase, just once, seeing the irony of the repetition.

"It's boring. Really. Like Silver said, but without seeing combat. Equestria is a quiet place, and Smile takes care of the magical problems."

Silver's head tilted, "Really? I thought they were more of a secret police?"

Cadance waved her hooves in confusion and surprise, "Maybe let's not discuss state secrets in a public space?!" She hissed to the two of them

Silver shrugged, "Well, if you say so" clearly disappointed.

"It is true Cad- Allium. You're being a stick in the mud."

Cadance put her neck into rolling her eyes, "Let's just talk about something else."

"Well if you wanna steer the conversation, why don't you offer up something? C'mon, you do loads of stuff."

Cadance searched her mind, "I don't know!"

Most of what I do is genuinely boring to talk about

"How about your filly? How's that going?" Silver offered

"Oh! That reminds me." Cadance leaned over, "Is it normal for mares to have a jump in thaumic capacity when their pregnant?"

Selene offered her two cents, "I believe so." While Silver raised her eyebrow

"You wouldn't be asking that if there wasn't already an irregularity, how big is the jump?"

"Big."

Silver waved a hoof, "I'll take a look at you after we send Selene home, how are you doing by the way? That was a lot of alcohol, need some water?"

Selene, who had started swaying with the music midway through Silver's sentence, nodded silently, sporting a calm smile with closed eyes. Silver went through the process of getting a glass of water from the bartender.

Cadance watched the interesting procedure that followed. Silver's wing twitched out and brushed Selene along the shoulder in a clearly intentional way. Selene reached out to exactly where the glass was and picked it up without looking. The whole thing took less than a second, and Silver continued on as if it didn't happen, "So no hormones? Morning sickness? The spell should be helping, so let me know if it needs any adjustments."

Cadance chose to ignore the interaction, and answered the question suddenly on her mind, "Wait, is that why I feel so normal? I thought it was just for the alcohol?"

Silver chuckled deeply, a 'hoho' kind of laugh that shook her up and down in her seat, "No no. That aid spell is heavy duty, it does it all."

Selene nodded, "If I'm not mistaken, the enchantment is three separate spirals, with at least twenty loops between them."

"Nobody says loops or spirals anymore." Silver cut in, "It's all about fragments and matrixes now." She waved her free hoof through the air like she was showing off the horizon. "But yes, there's a stabilizer, and then a dual purpose 'health and safety' spell, with a diffusion accelerator."

"Ah, so that is why Cadance was woozy so quickly."

Silver corrected her, "Allium Bloom."

"Ah yes, of course. My mistake." Selene's words came out a bit slurred, and she leaned forwards onto the counter.

Silver spread a wing over Selene's shoulder, "You need to throw up?"

"Nay, I believe I just require some fresh air."

Silver stepped down, Cadance following suit silently. Silver took the lead, nodding to Cadance as an untold message to help Selene make her way to the door. The process was far easier than it seemed, Selene, despite her swaying, never faltered with her hoof placement. Her wings awkwardly hung half splayed down her sides, and she lifted her hooves jerkily, like they were made of lead, but they all made it outside without any fuss.

"Ahhh." Silver spread her wings as they stepped outside. "Love that sickly salty air."

Selene took a deep breath. Exhaling through her mouth.

"Feeling better?" Cadance stepped up to her side

"Yes. I believe I was just more tired than I realized, my apologies."

Silver spoke without turning around, she was staring down the street, down at the docks, and out into the ocean. "Don't apologize. No mare gets left behind on MNO"

Cadance clarified, "Mare's night out" for Selene, who nodded. The two of them now focusing on Silver's strange stance, wings outstretched, staring out into the ocean as if she was about to get swept from the ground by a particularly strong breeze.

She looks... At peace...

"See something you like back there?" Silver said, filled with snark as she wiggled her rump.

"Ew" Cadance vocalized

Selene looked away, mumbling a quiet "Sorry."

Silver did a quick heel turn, stomping a hoof on the stone to accentuate her: "So!" She took a couple more steps forward, "I know it's a bit early, but do we wanna call it here so I can check out Cadance?"

Cadance waited for Selene to nod before agreeing, "Sounds good to me."

"Alrighty do, if you would follow me girls." Silver said as she trotted past them with a bounce in her step, heading for an alley. Cadance followed just a step behind Selene, her stance had changed quite a lot. It seemed that the fresh air did actually do wonders for her.

They followed Silver into the alley, where the portal waited to take them back to The Empire. They emerged outside, underneath The Spire. There was a little bit of alarm by the on post guards, that is, until Cadance's disguise fell away.

"As you were." She said simply at the blue crystal mare that had come comically skidding to a stop three body lengths away. The other ponies looked at each other in confusion. Silver waved a hoof, not helping.

"I believe this is where we part. Thank you both for tonight."

Silver caught Cadance's eye and nodded in Selene's direction

Oh! Right

"You'll be coming out with us next time, won't you Noxa?"

She took an odd step in surprise, "I-" She looked to Silver, "Am I invited?"

Silver put a hoof to her chest, "Don't look at me." Taking the hoof and pointing it at Cadance.

Selene's look followed the point to Cadance, who nodded with a smile.

The smile spread to Selene, who said, "Then yes. I shall arrive here next week, at the same time." She turned to leave.

Cadance called out, "Maybe not nearly as early!"

"And stop saying 'shall'!" Silver added on.

Selene waved a wing, "Goodnight!"

Cadance waved her own wing, Silver stood stock still as she watched the disguised monarch take flight, and disappear into the night sky, the glare from the Crystal Heart's shield making it impossible to see Selene's colours once she was over the city's building height. At least for Cadance, Silver was clearly still tracking Selene as she flew, her eyes locked out into the sky.

Cadance wanted to say something, but was worried about interrupting Silver's recent introspective episodes.

I made a little progress with her tonight, best not push my luck.

"So." Silver said, her tone tired.

"So?" Cadance offered.

Silver turned to look Cadance in the eye. "The fact that, that worked, doesn't justify doing it." Her look was angry. The way she searched Cadance's face for expression gave away a little of her frustration.

It was the searching to begin with that led Cadance to answer, "Yes it does."

Silver continued looking at Cadance, unfazed by her answer.

...

...

"Good." Silver nodded once.

Cadance let out a breath

"So shall I take a look at you?"

Cadance nodded and lit her horn. Silver waved a hoof, stepping up to her, "No, don't try and teleport me. It will definitely not work." She waved her wing, "Let's just go for a walk. Way easier. Plus, we cut short your interrogation time; gotta make it up somewhere." Silver was already ahead, so Cadance took a deep breath and picked up her pace to catch up.

Author's Note

It should go without saying to not imbibe poison.

It should doubly go without saying to not imbibe poison while pregnant.

Cadance is a fictional character, and magic is unfortunately not real.

Do not do that

Also, btw, the song featured here is L-Train's, Set Me Off. If you like what you heard, you should check out their other Princess style Electro Swing songs like: Paint The Moon Red and Battle Royale. Also take a look at all the featured artists. Lot's of epic pony creators helped with those grooves.