The sound of Plowshare practicing his scales greeted Luna as she reached the rear door to her chambers. She paused a moment to appreciate the casual air of his deep, smoky voice. Once she walked into the room, it would take on the formal tone of a professional.

When his vocal practice faded into casual banter with Shane, Luna opened the door and stepped through, toting the food she had prepared along with her. “Evening,” she greeted the two, floating the bowls and trays of food to their usual places.

“Luna,” Plowshare said with a little nod.

Shane fidgeted, and likely just barely stopped himself from bowing. “Princess,” he said with a wave of his hand. It occurred to her that Shane was dressed entirely in clothes from his home world. The near skin-tight clothing gave him a sharper, more masculine look than normal. She rather liked his belt’s silver buckle, too. Its carved image of an earth pony reared to fight had a warrior spirit to it, though she had an unnerving suspicion that the belt itself was leather.

“Shane, Plowshare,” Luna greeted them back. “Help yourselves to the food.” Plowshare knew he was as much a guest as the girls, but she wanted to say it for Shane’s sake. Something told her he’d go hungry all night if she didn’t tell him to eat.

Walking over to a cabinet, Luna pulled out a pack of cards and a notebook for the night's game. She had only just written down the five names of tonight’s players, when a knock sounded from the main door.

“Hello,” the rich old voice of Merry Hearth called as she entered the room without prompt.

“Hey, Merry,” Plowshare answered, trotting over to give her a hug. “Oh! You brought brownies!”

Luna clicked her tongue in mock irritation, but the grin peeking out from around the scowl ruined any appearance of anger. “I told you, you didn’t have to cook tonight.”

“It’s my mark.” Merry grinned, letting Plowshare steal one of the squares. “I’ll bake for my own funeral, if I figure out how.” With long steps that seemed out of place for her age, Merry crossed the room to Shane’s side. “Try one?” she asked the human with all the familiarity she'd give one of her grandfoals.

A shadow flickered across Shane’s face, but only for a heartbeat. “Sure! Thank you.”

As Shane pulled his square from the pan, Merry hoofed it onto the bar top before moving to her seat at the game table.

Something in Shane’s manner held Luna’s attention. He breathed deep and closed his eyes before taking a bite and chewing slowly. It occurred to her that his mind had left the room entirely. Right now, he was in some far-off place and time. The moment seemed sacred to him, and she expected him to give words for the dead when he opened his eyes. Instead, he gave her a sheepish smile, before busying himself with straightening the already-immaculate bar.

A moment later and there was another knock on the door. Luna looked up to see one of the guards open the door in formal invitation to the Arabian mare on the other side.

“Desert Spring, glad to have you with us again,” Luna said with a smile.

She was missing her usual regalia of saddle and bridle, only wearing a delicate saddlebag.

“It is good to be back,” Spring said, giving Luna the slightest nod, then a smile to Plowshare. Halfway to taking her seat by Merry, she paused to look at Shane.

“This is Shane,” Luna said before she could ask. “He is from a very far off place.”

“Oh.” Spring gave him a smile before stepping closer to him. “I am Desert Spring, consort to Jumping Mouse of Saddle Arabia, a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” he said, giving her a little bow. His eyes studied her with an academic glow for a moment before speaking again. “Would you like a drink, Desert Spring?”

There was something lost by the omiglot’s translation, but Luna couldn't put her hoof on just what.

Spring nodded, smiling like one complimented. She returned Shane’s studying gaze for a moment before speaking. “A drink would be good. Nothing strong.”

Shane launched into action behind the bar while Desert Spring settled into a seat by Merry.

Idle banter picked up between them as they waited for the last two of their group to show up. Merry had just finished regaling them about her son’s new business when a steaming cup was delivered in front of Spring.

“Coffee?” Luna asked.

Spring smiled at the dark drink, taking in the rich smell of it. “You can make Arabian coffee?” Taking a careful sip, Spring hummed. “This is good. What’s the liquor in it?”

Shane stood a little taller, his expression brightened from the praise. “Cinnamon schnapps.”

Confusion splayed Luna’s ears as she shifted in the seat to look at the human standing behind the bar. “How did you make coffee?”

Shane grinned like he was keeping the best secret in creation. “I brought some Arabian-ground beans with me.” Picking up another cup, he ran his fingers around its rim. A faint aura of cerulean traced behind his fingertips, and the contents started to bubble and steam. “Would you like some?”

Luna laughed. “You have been studying. I am impressed, and yes, I will take a cup, but hold the schnapps.” Boiling water: it was the first spell every zebra foal learned; not long after walking. A useful thing, but one few ponies ever bothered with.

“I had a tutor for a few hours,” Shane said as he poured the coffee from one cup to another. “She really helped me a lot.”

“Hi!” the cheery voice of Sun Fire called as the pink and yellow mare barrelled through the doorway. “We’re not late, are we?” Sunny’s ever-bubbling energy sent her across the room to land in her seat by Merry. Her messy sun-shine yellow mane still bounced even after the rest of the pink mare went mostly still.

“We would have been here sooner,” Giselle said, flowing into the room with her dancer’s grace. From beak to paws, every motion of the lithe, little griffon seemed choreographed to accent the next move she made. “But Sunny had to save me from a protracted conversation with Blueblood.”

“He’s still chasing you?” Spring asked, her coffee at her lips.

Taking her place by Sunny, Giselle rested her beak on the table. “Yes. Between him and Tung...”

“Oh, hey!” Sunny cheered, waving at Shane—who had taken something of a defensive position behind the bar. “You’re new. Are you the new bartender?”

“Umm... Hi, and yes,” Shane said, snapping his attention from Giselle to Sun Fire.

“Oh good,” Giselle said, sitting up straight with a sigh. “Make me something strong, if you would please.”

Sunny nodded. “Something salty for me.”

“Just some wine for me,” Merry said, standing to get it herself.

Shane gave a sharp nod of acknowledgement. Corking a bottle, he handed it over to Merry before taking to rummaging around the contents of his bar.

Taking the cards in her hooves, Luna shuffled the deck. “Shall we play?”

As Luna began to deal out cards, Plowshare flicked the gramophone to life, and as the tinny instrumental music began to play, Plowshare’s rich voice joined it. Several times she had pondered why the stallion had a mark in farming, and not singing.

“Odd number this time, so no teams. I’ll deal first,” Luna said, giving the deck one last shuffle.

“Sounds good to me,” the griffon answered.

Picking up her notebook, Luna looked to Spring beside her. “Then you get to make the first bid.”

Just as the game had started in earnest, Shane silently deposited the requested drinks. Lifting the cup in her magic, Luna sipped at the steaming coffee. The arabian style wasn’t her preferred coffee, but it was a novel change once in awhile.

Giselle plucked a bit of mint from her unpleasantly-colored yellow-brown drink. With a flick, she tossed the bit of greenery onto the napkin in front of Sunny. “All yours,” she said, before taking the glass in the talons.

Sunny let out the faintest squeak as she tossed the mint into her mouth and chewed. “Yummy.”

Taking a sip of her drink, Giselle seemed to ponder the taste. “Barley made something like this,” she said, before finishing off most of it in one go. “Pretty good.” Laying down the glass, she picked up the cards dealt to her this round. “What’d you get, Sunny?”

Lowering her nose to the drink, Sunny sniffed the light-green drink with its salt-crusted rim. “Smells good...”

Luna couldn’t help but notice Shane anxiously waiting on a verdict as she picked the glass up.

Pressing it to her lips, she took a sip, then a swallow. “Oh, that’s good!” Turning her head, she licked a bit of the salt from the rim. “What’s in it?”

Shane grinned like a proud father. “Badlands juice-leaf liquor, and some bitter-orange tincture. The rest is just lime juice.”

“Speaking of the Badlands,” Luna hesitated as she straightened some cards. “I received your sister’s report this morning. She should be back within the week.”

“Oh yay!” Sunny clapped her hooves. “And Princess Celestia doesn’t have me leaving for another two weeks.”

“Long deployment this time?” Spring asked.

Sunny shrugged, in that way that said she wasn’t at liberty to say.

“Well...” Giselle winced as Merry’s cards completed the hand she had set up to win on her next turn. “Hopefully you’ll be back in a couple moons.”

Spring smiled, laying down her play. “I will personally petition Celestia for you to be back for Giselle’s opening night as the lead for Windigo Prince.”

“Oh!” Luna and Sunny echoed each other, both turning towards the petite griffon with bright smiles.

“You got the lead?” Merry asked.

“Yea...” Giselle croaked out, smothered beneath Sunny’s crushing hug. Even Plowshare paused his song to give her a heart-felt congratulations.

“Shane,” Luna called with a playful command. “A drink for everyone. That includes you and Plowshare.”

“As you wish,” Shane said, stepping back from his bar to look over the contents. “Umm... I hate to ask,” he said, holding out a big piece of ginger and a steel cup. “But would one of you ladies have a spell to juice this?”

Luna opened her mouth to say she’d get it, only to realize Sunny had already rent the root to dry pulp and set the liquid part into the cup.

Shane winced. “Thanks...” he said, going through the motions of counting his fingers before disposing of the pulp.

A few seconds later, and the hiss of a seltzer bottle seemed to announce the last touch to whatever he was making.

“Hopefully this works; I had to substitute the ginger beer for fresh ginger,” he said, handing out the tumblers of spicy-smelling drink. “They’re called ‘dark and stormy’. Probably my favorite drink.”

Looking at the drink, it was an appropriate name. Taking her glass in hoof, she held it on in salute to Giselle. “To my favorite griffon, may your dancing days continue for many years.”

The others echoed her words before lowering their glasses to drink from them.

Giselle’s wings betrayed her embarrassment, but also her happiness. “Thank you all.”

“I could get into trouble with these...” Plowshare commented, looking at his glass.

“Yeah,” Merry agreed. “This is sneaky.”

Shane took a sip, but scrunched his face to one side. “It’s okay... The rum is really good, but it’d be better with ginger beer.”

Luna had to agree with Plowshare. It was a sweet and spicy drink, with a lot of subtle flavors that completely hid the alcohol. “If you can make this even better, then I will see to it that there is ginger beer in here for you next time.”

“Mind if I try a sip?” Luna asked, reaching for Plowshare’s glass of exotic wine that he had just sat on the table. It had been a very long time since she’d had Crystal Berry Wine, but really, it was just an excuse to lean against Plowshare as she reached.

Plowshare smiled, but pretended not to notice the contact. “Sure,” he said, moving the glass a bit closer, but not so close that it meant she didn’t have to lean to reach it.

Not bothering to sit back upright after she had the glass in her hooves, Luna rested against the muscled stallion as she took a careful sip. It was good, much like she remembered it. Though, it was one of those drinks she always thought smelled better than it tasted. Bringing the glass back up, she paused short of setting it to her lips. Instead she enjoyed its rich aroma while half-listening to a story Desert Spring was telling, and inwardly laughing as she watched Shane fussing over Merry; making sure something or another was to her comfort.

The card game had mostly been forgotten by the nine o’clock hour, replaced with rambling stories from whoever had the next tale vaguely tangent to the one before it. Much to Luna’s liking, the human had relaxed by degrees, reaching a point where he would linger at the table between Sunny and Merry; instead of standing rigid behind the bar. The couple of drinks he’d had probably helped, thought it was more the rapport he’d developed with Merry. While Merry Hearth had a great number of ponies she had unofficially adopted as grandfoals, Celestia and herself being among them, this was the first time Luna had seen someone adopt her as a grandmother.

“-so, three days later, they come back and say.” Spring paused giggling at her own story. “Oh! You were looking for a mule!?”

Luna snorted. “That reminds me,” she said, still chuckling, her voice only brushed with alcohol slur. She paused a moment to gather her thoughts as Plowshare pulled free from his role as her stalwart leaning post to return to his singing spot. She missed his warmth as soon as he stood, but she did enjoy watching him walk away from her.

Luna blinked, shaking the lurid thought from her mind. “I was in the grand hall when my sister’s court let out for lunch the other day. Apparently Blueblood was rather hungry and tried to make a dash to be first in line.”

Merry giggled, already seeing where this story was going.

“Well...” Luna turned to face Giselle. “Mirror Polish had come through while court was in, and Blue went legs out,” Luna threw out her forelegs in imitation of the fall, “and landed belly first. Took him five minutes to stand.”

Chuckles echoed around the room, Giselle laughing till her eyes watered.

“Why do you keep that floor that polished?” Shane asked, once the laughter had faded. “Even I have to be careful in there, I have no idea how you ponies even stand.”

Spring sat down the spicy tomato juice cocktail she had been nursing on. “It forces ponies to walk with their head up, and with slow, careful steps; discourages rushing and pushing.”

“Oh...” Shane replaced Giselle’s empty beer bottle with a full one. “That makes sense.” The flirty flutter of her wings went completely unnoticed by the human.

“Hey Shane...” Sunny pushed her empty cup away from her, the motion sloppy and over-exaggerated. “Make me the strangest drink you know.”

Shane stood, but concern creased his face. “Okay, but I’m cutting you off after this. Anyone else want something?”

Moving to better watch the human work, Luna spoke up. “One las’ drink for me as well; something minty.”

“One naked filly scout, for the princess,” Shane replied. Placing a short glass on the bartop, he poured cream, mint, and a few splashes of liqueur into it.

“For something strange...” Shane studied his ingredients for a moment before brightening up. Another short glass was set on the table, where he added a shot of something clear, then very carefully poured a second shot of another clear liquor.

Walking the two glasses and a bottle of something over to the table, Shane first sat down Luna’s drink, then Sunny’s.

“That’s boring,” Sunny said, frowning at the totally clear drink.

Then Shane let a few drops of cream-white liqueur drip from the bottle into the drink.

Every female at the table blinked at the drink, and several blushed. Sunny giggled like a filly telling her first dirty joke. “Looks like you came in my drink,” she said, leaning forward to get a better look.

“You can have another drink yourself, Shane,” Luna said, before taking a taste of her candy-like drink. She was pleased to find it had a bite to it, but wasn’t overly strong. “It will be time to retire soon, you do not need to be our host any longer. Simply relax with us for the remainder of the evening.”

Shane stiffened. She expected him to make some kind of protest, but after taking a moment to straighten the bar, he poured himself a double of the zap-apple brandy.

“To be honest, I’m pretty lit already. I’ve been tasting everything as I go.” Drink in hand, he sat down between Merry and Sunny.

Luna suppressed a snicker as Shane visibly restrained himself from resting his arms on the ponies beside him. After a moment, he simply held his glass with both hands, seeming to need something for them to do.

Giselle gave Sunny the gentlest of nudges with a wing tip. Sunny’s ears perked scanning towards her best friend with a precise awareness that showed she was nowhere near as tipsy as she was pretending to be. Some little conversation passed between them, but it was a wordless one.

“You too, Plowshare,” Luna said.

The stallion gave her a wink, and trailed off on the song he was singing. “I have something special to sing for my last song,” he said, shuffling his sheet music. “It’s a song from Shane’s world. Princess Twilight translated it. Or rather, her dragon.”

“Oh?” Luna perked up. Shane seemed a bit unsure, but everyone else eagerly awaited to hear the alien lyrics.

“Oh, here it is!” Sitting the page on the music stand, Plowshare changed out the gramophone's record to one with a slow heavy beat and deep bass horns. Draining the last of his drink, Plowshare nodded along with the music for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"I put a spell on you…" the stallion belted out in a drunken slur.

Luna grinned, meeting Plowshare’s sultry glare as he sang. It was a simple song, but fun in its delivery. Not something that would get stuck in your head, unlike the one from the movie—she had found herself absently humming that ear-worm almost daily since hearing it.

As the song ended, Luna looked around to see the other girls amused by the exotic treat, while Shane had a rather uncomfortable look to him.

“Umm...” Shane adjusted himself on his cushion. “Like it?”

Luna nodded. “I did.” Using a wing, she pulled a spare cushion up next to hers, and patted it for Plowshare to join her.

“Is that a love song, in your world?” Merry asked.

Shane relaxed as he held back a laugh. “No. Not sure what you’d call it, but definitely not a love song.”

“Hey, Spring.” Rising to her hooves, Sun Fire picked up her drink. “Did you bring pictures of your foal?” She asked, walking around the table to sit next to Desert Spring.

Spring smiled. “I did!” Turning in her seat, she began to dig in her saddle bags for the little album she kept there.

Giselle filled the void left by Sunny and slid herself over to sit next to Shane under the guise of looking past him to the album Spring had set on the table.

After the conversation had drifted away from Spring’s foal, it occurred to Luna that Shane was an affectionate drunk. Not that he was drunk, but certainly inebriated enough that she could tell he was consciously keeping himself from out-and-out petting either Merry or Giselle.

When Giselle strategically moved so that his hand fell onto her back, he absently dragged his fingers through her pelt for a moment before pulling his hand back. Scooting yet a bit closer, Giselle gave him a playful nudge, encouraging him to continue.

Nervous tension gave way to a soft smile as he returned his hand to her side. Watching those two pull closer made Luna more aware of the stallion she was leaning against, and prompted her to pull closer herself.

“Well...” Merry Hearth rose to all fours. “I think it’s bedtime for me.”

Spring nodded. “Indeed; tomorrow is a busy day for me. Sun Fire, you’re welcome to sleep in my suite if you do not wish to walk home.” Standing up, she tucked her album away. “Thank you for hosting, Luna; it was a wonderfully relaxing evening with friends.” Turning to face Shane, she gave him a nod. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Joining the others in standing, Luna moved towards the door to see them out. “I am glad you all had a pleasant evening.”

Shane seemed lost or disoriented for a moment, and Luna was about to ask him if he needed to sleep here for the night when Giselle steadied him with a wing.

“Can I walk you home?” the griffon asked.

Looking from her to Giselle, Luna realized he wasn’t drunk, but honestly confused as to what he was supposed to do.

“You are obligated to nothing,” Luna said. “I told you an hour ago that you were no longer acting as a consort of The House.”

“Oh!” Shane brightened up, then looked back down at Giselle. “Sure, I’d like the company.”

Giselle’s wings fluffed a bit in joy as she escorted the human out of the room.

That left only her and Plowshare in the room. Luna dug at her foreleg with the opposite hoof.

“I have no duties tonight. Would you like to join me in my chambers for coffee?”

Plowshare smiled and moved to stand next to her. “That would be nice.”