The air had cooled down considerably once the sun had set beyond the horizon. The skies were clear, and as such, it was not long before the stars and moon came into full view, ushering in another beautiful night for all to see. At the embassy of the Lunar Kingdom, right on the outskirts of Ponyville, there was, upon the second level, a balcony, and from it, a pair of watchful eyes gazed out at the sleepy town beyond. Rarity, sitting at a small table on that aforementioned balcony, was casually sipping from a glass of wine, looking out as light after light went out in the homes of Ponyville. Her expression was hard to read, but even so, it was clear to all that this was a time of relaxation for her, right down to her, for once, not having her hair tied up in its usual bun. Instead, her mane was allowed to go all the way down to her shoulders, as was natural for it, After another sip of her drink, however, her solitude was interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Ambassador."

Turning, the alabaster unicorn saw that it was none other than Aurora, Captain of her personal guard, who now walked onto the balcony from the embassy interior. Immediately, the two guards that had been stationed on either side of that door gave an instinctive salute to their Captain, with the latter simply making her way closer to Rarity. The Ambassador, for her part, simply offered as small smile, raising her drink slightly to the approaching soldier.

"Captain. Retiring for the evening?"

Aurora, having finally reached her, gave a nod.

"Yeah. The duty roster for the next week is finished, and the guards for the night have taken up their station."

Rarity nodded back, then considered something.

"...Would you care to join me?"

Aurora shook her head to that.

"Appreciate the offer, Ambassador, but..."

But Rarity wouldn't have it.

"Oh pish! We all need some down time every once in a while, Aurora."

Though hesitant., the cyan pegasus, after a few moments, let out a sigh, before then taking a seat opposite her unicorn companion. There was little but silence between the two for some time, with Rarity simply focusing on her drink while occasionally glancing out at the town beyond. Eventually though, she turned once more to her fellow Lunar.

"Do you ever miss the Kingdom? We have been here for some time now."

Slowly, a nostalgic smile crept onto Aurora's face.

"Yeah, I do. I miss the endless night. I miss being able to look up at the castle when coming back from a patrol."

Looking out at Ponyville, Aurora started to develop a slight frown.

"These Equestrians...so much about them is hard to understand."

Rarity nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. That sun of theirs is rather...irksome to have to look at every day."

Aurora turned to her, still frowning.

"It's not just that. It's that these ponies don't ever seem to be that bothered with keeping themselves secure!"

Rarity gained a look of curiosity at that.

"Oh?"

In response, Aurora gestured to nearby Ponyville.

"When I did my initial reconnaissance of this place, I came upon a full twelve openings in their guard patrols. And that hasn't changed in all the months we've been here! Heck, not one of those so-called guards of theirs even caught a glimpse of me while I was doing it! And they call that security?!"

Rarity shook her head, giving a few "tsk" noises before she spoke up again.

"It's a wonder some outside aggressor hasn't come along to take the place over in the last thousand years."

Sighing, Aurora leaned back into her chair.

"Sorry. Just...just needed to vent about that."

A smile came to Rarity.

"No need to apologise. We all have our frustrations with this place. Oh!"

Her face then lit up somewhat.

"If it makes you feel nay better, I did manage to get some small victory on the diplomatic front earlier today."

Aurora raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?"

Again, Rarity raised a glass.

"Yes. After some lengthy talks with Ambassador Cadence, I've got us leave to have our staff and soldiers go out into Ponyville on non-official functions. Visiting shops and the town square, that sort of thing. During their off-duty hours of course."

After considering that for a moment, Aurora chuckled.

"Well...I guess our lot would be grateful to not have to stare at the same embassy walls all day."

Rarity nodded, though her smile faded somewhat shortly afterwards.

"Although...she did seem to be somewhat irritated regarding our nation's recent involvement with the Griffons."

Hearing that, Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Are they still bitter about that?"

Sighing, Rarity nodded.

"It would appear that way."

Looking back to her cohort, the unicorn gained a look of curiosity.

"Speaking of which, have you received word from your colleague, Lightning Dust?"

Aurora nodded.

"Yeah. Work is already underway on the embassy up there. They've also started some way overdue repairs on the city's fortifications, like the outer walls."

She shook her head in a disapproving way.

"The way Lightning tells it, that city looked like it was about to crumble into pieces before we got there."

Rarity's smile returned.

"I trust Queen Gabby is grateful for the help?"

Aurora considered that.

"Hard to say. You know how it is with new rulers. They've got a lot of their plate. But, at least she's got less than her dear old Dad had to deal with."

She leaned over the table a bit more.

"According to Lightning's report, there's a lot less unrest up there now. Even the local police chief says that the streets have never been quieter at night."

Rarity raised her glass approvingly.

"The Griffons are doing better then?"

But Aurora shook her head.

"Not all of them appreciate it, Rares. There was a plan for some big protest by some of the younger ones. They weren't happy with everything we were doing with them, so they thought it'd be a good idea to take to the streets about it."

Hearing that, Rarity scoffed.

"Honestly! After everything we've done for them! Bringing stability, making their streets safer. We even helped bring them a monarch that could actually be respected. And that is the thanks we get?"

Aurora nodded.

"Don't worry. Lightning caught wind of the protest before it happened and helped put a stop to it. Their ringleader is in custody right now while Queen Gabby decides what to do about her. Apparently it was some grumpy young female. Gilla. Gilly maybe?"

Rarity shook her head.

"Regardless, I hope this shows the Griffons that they really do need us up there."

A smirk crossed Aurora's face.

"I'll drink to that."

She looked down to her side of the table, which was currently empty.

"That is...if I had a drink."

Realisation dawned for the Ambassador.

"Oh my goodness! How rude of me!"

Turning, she gestured to one of the nearby guards, who saluted before making his way inside. In the meantime, Aurora looked to Rarity yet again.

"So...how's your kid doing?"

At the mention of her daughter, Rarity gained a warm smile.

"Sweetie? Oh, she's doing wonderfully. Her tutor arrived just this morning, so she can finally get back to her lessons."

Aurora nodded.

"Miss Coco, yes?"

Rarity nodded back, but said nothing as, as if on cue, the previous guard returned, now accompanied by a unicorn mare attendant. The latter walked over to the Captain, using her magic to levitate a glass of water, which she carefully placed on the table before her. Aurora nodded in recognition of this, watching as the new unicorn walked off, leaving Rarity to speak up at last.

"I know you're not really one for wine, so..."

But Aurora cut her off, taking hold of her glass and drinking it right down."

"No, it's fine. I prefer this at this time of night anyway."

As before, Rarity smiled.

"Anyway, Sweetie has always gotten on famously with Coco, so with luck, her days shouldn't be too different from what it was back at the castle...even if we do have a somewhat different locale to deal with."

She gestured to Ponyville to emphasise that point, leading to Aurora looking out at it also. But, as she did so, her gaze eventually fell upon the distinct tree shape of Golden Oak Library. A moment or two passed, but eventually, she gained a rather thoughtful expression, and after briefly hesitating, she turned again to Rarity.

"That mare...Trixie..."

At that, Rarity frowned somewhat.

"Captain...we agreed that it was better not to discuss that."

Aurora stared down at her now-empty glass.

"I know, but...for somepony of the Order to be here of all places?"

After a moment of mental debate with herself, Rarity too glanced down at her drink.

"Yes...I must confess, I too was surprised to find her here."

Looking back to her colleague, Aurora frowned slightly.

"What could be so important about Ponyville that the Queen would send one of them here?"

Rarity responded to that with a slight smirk.

"You know our Queen. Always thinking ahead in ways we can't. Whatever her plans, I'm sure they're important. We should trust her."

Aurora nodded.

"Trust isn't the issue, Rares. I just...can't really understand it."

Slowly, Rarity too glanced out at the large tree at the centre of Ponyville, narrowing her eyes as she did so.

"Perhaps...it is not Ponyville that our Queen has taken an interest in...but rather the one Trixie has taken up with?"

Aurora raised an eyebrow to that.

"What...you mean...Sparkle?"

Rarity nodded in response, leading to the Captain looking deep in thought yet again.

"Well...she did manage to hold her own for a bit against the Tantabus. So who knows? Maybe that impressed her?"

But her expression then turned to wariness as she looked to Rarity again.

"If Trixie's here, then do you think...she's involved in this too?"

Rarity nodded solemnly.

"No doubt. Trixie is her right hoof after all."

Sighing, Aurora leaned back into her chair again.

"Well...I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

This time, it was Rarity's turn to laugh a little bit.

"With our Queen? That's always the case, Captain."

Together the two mares laughed, and when it died down, they both raised their respective glasses, clinking them against one another before once more settling into silence. After a minute or two, however, that silence broke as Aurora finally hoisted herself out of her chair.

"Well...I guess I'll get back to my quarters. Don't want to be groggy in the morning."

Again, Rarity raised her glass to her.

"Sleep well. You'll need it if you're going to have to stand out in that sunlight again all day."

Aurora groaned at that.

"Ugh! I'll never understand how these Equestrians can put up with it."

Smirking again, Rarity watched her companion go, and once she was entirely out of view and earshot, she turned her attention once more to the darkened sight of Ponyville at night.

"Don't worry yourself too much Captain. After all..."

She took another sip of her wine.

"...they may one day grow just as tired of it as you are."