Luna had elected to walk the rest of the way to their next destination, holding Thomas’ hand the entire time. The human felt like a child being escorted by his mother with how high his elbow had to be due to their height difference. He did his best to voice his discomfort to the Princess using only his eyes, only to flinch as he felt a magical tingle on his rump followed by a quick pinch. Thomas stifled a yelp while the Princess merely smiled at his expense.

“You know you don’t have to enjoy humiliating me that much, right?” Thomas asked sardonically.

“Humiliation? What ever could you mean, dearest Thomas?” Luna asked while wearing a guilty smile.

The human stared up at the alicorn as her great form blocked out the lights overhead. She was imposing, but he was not afraid. “Just remember the last time this happened. The war kept escalating until I paid you back tenfold.”

“Dearest Thomas,” Luna laughed. “If we…”

“I.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you just issued a threat to the diarch of all Equestria.”

“And if I did?” Thomas asked daringly.

Luna’s eyes flared as she returned the challenge. “Then I would remind you of three weeks ago and who it was who really stood victorious come the dawn.”

“You could stand after that? My legs were sore for three days.”

“Thy suffering would have been lessened if you had only allowed us to carry you,” Luna said in mock concern.

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” Thomas scoffed. “And its ‘your’, not ‘thy’,” he corrected as they approached their destination.

The restaurant’s title shone in dark green neon letters ‘Midnight Grill’s Grill’. The whole of the entrance was mobbed by ponies in fancy attire, ready to be seen at their best in the presence of the Princess.

“Now I really feel underdressed,” Thomas indicated his shorts. “Between a museum and a fancy restaurant, maybe I should have worn something more appropriate, or at least put on a shirt.”

“Nonsense,” Luna countered. “You look most dashing as you are. Besides, as this generation says, you are on the clock. It is your duty to satisfy your Princess. And your Princess would be most satisfied if she were to be escorted to lunch by such a dashing and scantily dressed young lad.”

“This is part of my punishment for yesterday, isn’t it?” Thomas stated as fact.

“Tis entirely possible,” Luna commented casually.

Thomas gave the Princess an affectionate nudge and they pressed on.

As soon as they arrived a dark brown unicorn stallion dressed in a fancy suit with no bottoms walked up to the Princess and greeted her warmly. “Princess,” he bowed. “My name is Midnight Grill the fourth. It is such an honor to have royalty grace my humble restaurant as my very first customer.”

Luna extended her free hand which Midnight Grill kissed. “The pleasure is… mine, Mr. Grill,” she thanked just as warmly.

“We have a booth already set up for you,” Grill motioned towards the restaurant before his eyes landed on Thomas. “Forgive me, Princess, but I’m afraid our fine establishment doesn’t allow pets.”

Luna’s expression went cold and Thomas felt her grip on his hand tighten. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Swift Scabbard stepped ahead of her and whispered into Grill’s ear. The brown stallion’s fur paled at the guard’s words as his eyes crawled up and down Thomas’ body.

“My deepest apologies, Princess,” Grill bowed with apologetic fervor. “I did not know that that… he was your companion. Of course all in the service of the Princess of the Night are welcome at Midnight Grill’s Grill.”

“Excellent,” Luna nodded, but her tone betrayed that she was still upset by the comment. “I trust you to show my companion and I to our table.”

“But of course,” Grill nodded and lead the way while narrating the restaurant’s history. “Midnight Grill’s Grill was actually started in Las Pegasus more than a hundred years ago by my great grandfather, Midnight Grill the first.” He waved his hand at the spacious hall before them with its ivory colored pillars, classy chandelier, and slight touches of moss here and there for a rustic look. “Our fine establishment is rated with four platinum stars with dozens of facilities across Equestria. This is actually the grand re-opening of our original Canterlot restaurant in honor of your Highness.”

“Dearest Thomas,” Luna interrupted. “Do you have any thoughts on this little eatery?”

Thomas watched the brown stallion twitch nervously before looking up at Luna. “It’s very big. Kinda looks like the royal dining hall to be honest.”

“That is no coincidence,” Grill assured. “Our new facility was actually based off…” He paused when Luna held up his hand to silence him.

“Please, dearest Thomas. We are most interested in hearing your true opinion.”

“It seems like associating with Princess Luna has become very trendy lately,” he explained. “It sounds as though he’s just jumping on the bandwagon, using your name to drive up attendance. It’s actually a pretty good marketing ploy, to be honest.” Thomas answered as they arrived at the booth.

It was on the third floor of the restaurant, which was a large ring with a view overlooking those below, obviously the VIP section considering the bouncers at the stairs to ensure ponies stuck to their respective stations. The table was round in shape and seemed quite large compared to the others in the upper ring, though they were distanced quite far from this one. Considering the height of the rounded seat and table, the booth also seemed fit to hold all three Princesses and probably a few others; no doubt it had been adjusted specifically for this purpose. However, tonight it was only set for two with white plates, each with red napkins holding the silverware set next to them.

The two armored guards took up their posts on either side of the booth, with Moonlight Shield to the right and Swift Scabbard to the left. Thomas gentlemanly held out his hands to gesture for Luna to slide in ahead of him, since there were no chairs to pull out, and then took his seat to her right. It was incredibly awkward with Luna being so tall and Thomas being so short compared to what the seat and table were designed for. The awkwardness was not lost on Midnight Grill who was visibly shaking.

“I do believe my companion is in need of an extra pillow,” Luna said to no one in particular.

“At once, my Princess,” Grill bowed before running off to the back of the restaurant.

“And we should like to enjoy a quiet meal without being disturbed.”

The guards nodded in acknowledgement.

There was a brief period of silence before Thomas felt comfortable enough to ask “Luna?”

She didn’t answer right away.

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever for?” She asked flatly. “You were honest in your opinion. And upon reflection, we are inclined to believe your theory to be accurate. But it is no matter.”

“Luna?”

“It is only inevitable that ponies would once again seek to use us for their own gain. Twas the same in days long ago and there is no reason to believe the days to come would be any different. It’s honestly a bit refreshing to encounter such familiar habits from our subjects.” Luna smiled down at Thomas. “Do not fret, my faithful consort. We are not so terribly offended at being used for, as you say, a marketing ploy.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“It pains us to see you suffer such disrespect.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Thomas took hold of the Princess’ arm and pressed himself against her. “Some ponies can be jerks for no good reason, but it really doesn’t bother me that much.”

“Truly?”

“I’d be lying if I said I weren’t thinking about ways to humiliate the little prick as punishment,” Thomas chuckled. “But that’d just ruin the evening. You and me are here to have a nice lunch together, so that’s what we need to focus on,” he said for his own sake as much as for Luna’s.

“Verily,” Luna proclaimed quietly before she leaned down and pressed her warm lips against his.

“What flavor is that?” Thomas asked as he wiped his tongue across his own lips to taste Luna’s lipstick. “Chocolate? Wait…” he said as he leaned upward to get a better look at the Princess’ muzzle. “You aren’t wearing lipstick.”

Luna averted her gaze guiltily as Thomas leered up at her. “Tis not our fault that we stumbled across one of our sister’s emergency cake stashes and decided to… relieve her of the temptation. After all, her flank does not need the extra padding.” Luna let out a soft yelp at suddenly being goosed by the human beside her. She stared down in awe at his audacity.

Thomas stared down at his fingers as if to examine what he’d just touched. “Fair enough,” he agreed nonchalantly. “You could afford a little extra cushion down there anyway. I say this from professional experience.”

Indignant, Luna pushed Thomas down into the soft cushioning of the empty seats to his right. Smiling, the human sat himself up and was about to lightly push the Princess right back. However, a quick glance at the surrounding nobility eyeing him up served as a reminder that he needed to compose himself and not make a scene. Almost thankfully, Midnight Grill’s return with the extra pillows sobered up the mood. The pillows were enough to put Thomas hip to hip with the Princess so at least he didn’t need to strain himself to reach the plate.

“If that is all, I shall fetch your waiter so that you may make your orders.”

Luna nodded and dismissed him. The waitress, a young mocha unicorn, wearing a frilly maid uniform that made her look like one of the royal maids, followed seconds later and was clearly nervous. “G-g-greetings, P-Princess,” she stuttered as she handed the couple their menus. “M-my name is Mocha Mug. M-may I start you off w-with a non-alcoholic cider?”

Thomas grimaced and shook his head. If I’d remembered there were two kinds of cider, I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble with Luna last night. Not gonna happen this time. “Just regular apple juice for me.”

Mocha practically jumped when Thomas spoke up. “I-I’m sorry… uh, sir? I didn’t see you there.”

“No worries,” Thomas held up his hand to stop her stuttering. “Obviously you were distracted by the tall glass of grape juice beside me.”

“Ummmmm…” Mocha froze as her faced turned a bright shade of pink.

“Grape juice sounds nice, actually,” Luna startled the waitress back to reality. “And bring something for the guards as well. They should appreciate the snack and refreshments.”

“Y-yes, Princess. I’ll be back with your drinks in just a moment.” Mocha promised before confronting both guards individually and galloping off.

“Glass of grape juice?” Luna asked inquisitively.

“Tall glass of water is slang for a pretty girl,” Thomas explained. “But then I remembered you’re colored more like a grape than water so…”

“In all our many centuries in this world, this may be the first time we have ever been compared to a grape,” Luna noted.

“Our? We?” Thomas pointed out.

Luna’s face scrunched up. “YOU know,” she emphasized, “this is becoming most irksome.”

“Consider it payback for all the times you went out of your way to embarrass me.”

Before Luna could retort Mocha Mug teleported to the front of their table and handed them their drinks. “M-may I take your orders, now?”

Thomas and Luna exchanged looks. “Sorry,” Thomas apologized. “Can you give us a few minutes to look at the menus?”

“Of course. M-my apologies,” Mocha Mug bowed. “If I might make a few suggestions, we have a lovely bouquet option where you can choose from dozens of flower options.”

“That sounds most delicious,” Luna said with a lick of the lips as she read the description in the menu. “But I’m afraid my companion here cannot digest such plants. Pray tell, is there an option for omnivores?”

Mocha Mug took a moment to think and then grinned. “That would be on pages seven and eight.” She paused as she waited for Thomas to turn the page. “Since our first chain opened up so close to the Griffon Kingdom, Midnight Grill’s Grill prides itself on being accessible to all Equestrian species and we always keep a little meat in stock.”

“Not bad,” Thomas complimented as he read his options. “I think I’ll have the baked salmon with a side of raw broccoli.”

“And we shall have the bouquet of daisies, carnation, and lilacs,” Luna added. “We shall also have four of the super salads with extra carrots, three hay burgers, a large tail feather soup, and… a side of apple fritters.”

Momentarily dumbstruck by the volume of Luna’s request, Mocha Mug quickly wrote down their orders and departed in a blink of light.

“Was it necessary for her to be teleporting like that? Won’t that be dangerous if she does that in a crowded restaurant?” Thomas motioned ahead of them. Since Luna’s arrival, ponies had begun pouring into the restaurant in droves, all clamoring for the seats closest to the Princess but the guards held them back through sheer force of will.

“She is merely nervous at meeting a Princess for the first time,” Luna enlightened. “If memory serves, thou were not much better at our first meeting.”

“Duly noted.”

Just a couple friends/buck buddies/thing I've hinted at having lunch together in a fancy eatery. Without his uniform, Thomas all that welcome in places unless ponies in positions of power say he is. Might be an issue. Also a few more hints dropped for upcoming... things.

The most important thing her is that the relationship between Thomas and Luna feels real and really positive.

As usual, let me know what you guys think.