Chapter 12: The Blue of Evening

Due to all the festivities the day before, not much had happened today. Celestia of course returned to Canterlot and her friends all dispersed late into the night, leaving Twilight and Luna to themselves to get some rest. It was about seven in the evening and nothing had been done at all… like seriously…. Nothing. For the first time in her life, Luna had actually felt very cooped up due to inactivity for the whole day. She wanted… no… she had to do something to release all the pent up energy she had. Ponyville had a quiet but expansive nightlife, so she might as well give that a try. Looking into a few things, Luna found out that the club they went to was having a “classics night” tonight and she perked up at that immediately. Luna absolutely loved that type of music.

“Very well then, it has been decided!” she said to herself as she readied up. A step up from casual dress would do nicely: black pants with a blue blouse would suffice. She eyed herself in the mirror and studied herself up and down. She was starting to see herself as beautiful now, and her overall complexion has shot through the roof. However…

“Let’s try it without this…” she said as she removed her new tiara. From her experiences she’s been mostly incognito without it. She also removed the ‘free-flowing’ aspect that moved her hair though an invisible breeze.

“Don’t wear simple head adornment… instantly incognito. Wut?” she mused to no one in particular. Fixing her hair, she was ready to go. She exited her room and headed for the door.

“Twilight I’m going out for a while!” Luna shouted out towards the direction of Twilight’s room.

“Okay, Luna! See you if you return tonight! If not, see you tomorrow!” she shouted back. With that, Luna was out the door and on her way to the club. The night air wasn’t bad; actually it was quite soothing and comfortable to her. Looking up, she admired the job she did on the night sky as she strolled along.

She walked with purpose and conviction, eventually arriving at the club that was filled, but not to the degree of last time, and filled with more of a slightly older generation, as was expected. Upon entering she drew eyes from many people, especially men. But the difference was that many of these men knew that staring was not polite, so they turned away out of respect within a few seconds. Luna could instantly recognize the tone of swing music playing while couples danced very fast to the tune, performing genuine swing dancing that got the adrenaline pumping. Luna smiled as she sat down at the bar, sighing in satisfaction due to being surrounded by such a comforting environment.

“What’ll it be, pretty lady?” the bartender asked in a very friendly manner. Luna pondered this for a second.

“Vanilla Cola with Rum and a slice of lime please,” Luna answered.

“Hm. An odd request but nevertheless, sounds good to me! You have interesting taste, miss,” the bartender struck up friendly conversation as he fixed her drink.

“I happen to think she has excellent taste,” another voice said before Luna could respond. Looking over, a young man sat down, couldn’t have been older than nineteen. He was dressed very nicely, which was most uncommon for those his age. The young man was fair skinned with cobalt blue hair that had a red streak weaving through it, and it was very fashionably combed down… rather dashing at that, or so Luna thought at first glance.

“I’ll have the exact same thing. Put them both on my tab,” the young man spoke in a friendly manner, yet still with much conviction. Luna admired his generosity but, naturally, was a bit wary.

“You didn’t have to, but thank you. Most appreciated,” Luna said with a soft smile. The least she could do.

“Oh, not at all! I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing you around here before; I take it you don’t frequent. The name’s Seafire. A pleasure to meet you!” he said, extending his hand. Luna was impressed… very well spoken and polite for his age. Technically she was his age but technically she still wasn’t. No matter, not the time to deal with semantics right now…. Well actually it was. Her name! He doesn’t recognize her. Should she divulge her name? No… because the experience wouldn’t be the same! Yes he’d treat her well, but it could be out of a sense of obligation! So no… not yet at least. But what should she say? Quickly… the first name in her head…

“Moonrise. And the pleasure is all mine,” she said with a smile as she let him take her hand in a soft embrace.

“I’m an idiot. Oh… for fucks sake…” she mentally cursed herself. She could have sworn that she heard someone spit their drink in a coughing fit of laughter in her head.

“A beautiful name, if I do say so myself,” Luna blushed a bit, even though it wasn’t her name… she honestly didn’t know why.

“I bet a dashing man such as you says that to all the ladies that pass through here,” Luna jested with a smirk.

“Only if it’s the truth,” Seafire replied with a wag of his finger and a reciprocating smirk. They chuckled a bit as they sipped their drinks. Luna so far was sensing no deception from him.

“So, what brings you here on this fine evening?” Seafire asked, leaning towards her attentively.

“Well, I didn’t exactly do too much today. I’m… visiting my friends, so I’m not really from around here. Thus, I’m exploring the night life a bit,” Luna replied.

“Oh? And if I may be so bold as to inquire, where might you be from, Moonrise?”

“I hail from Canterlot, actually.”

“Do you now?” Seafire now looked very interested. “I used to live in Canterlot actually,”

“Did you? Pray tell, what made you leave?” Luna asked, genuinely interested in the conversation now.

“Well, let’s just say that I… needed a break. Being raised in a very strict family that is so uptight over everything is not a life for a growing boy to live. Growing up a stoic is not healthy. When I was able, I simply left and have been here ever since. That was about… four years ago. Since then, I’ve freed my mind and explored my options, but the important thing that I take pride in is that I’ve kept my morals. They’ve made me into the man I am today and I wouldn’t change it at all. Ponyville is indeed a different environment, but nevertheless, a very nice one,” he finished with a smile. They had more in common than she initially could have ever thought possible. Seafire and ‘Moonrise’ continued to talk for a long time, occasionally refilling their drinks but careful not to overindulge in the alcohol. After about an hour and a half of pure lighthearted conversation, Seafire made a proposition for the Lunar Princess.

“Oh! This is one of my favorite songs! Would you do me the honor of letting me take your hand in your first dance of the evening?” he asked, extending his hand, palm facing up. Luna had to admit, the young gentleman had treated her enormously well through the evening. And as confident as he was, she could still sense the nervousness of potential rejection hanging on him. No deception was detected from him and ultimately… why not? He was a charming lad. If her first dance with a member of the opposite sex had to be with anyone, surely she could be thankful that it would be with him.

“I’d… quite enjoy that,” Luna said, grasping his hand softly as he led her out onto the expansive floor. This was a moderate paced song that allowed for the two of them to casually grasp each other in the swing dancing stupor. It had been quite some time since Luna danced like this so she needed a quick refreshing. Soon, she was dancing beautifully with her new partner, who was having equally a great time. She had to admit, this man was growing on her and almost too quickly for comfort. She found herself studying his features too closely and often blushing at the very thought. Was the Princess of the Night taking a romantic liking, albeit small, to someone? So it would seem. Every time they locked eyes, Seafire would grant her a genuine smile as they danced across the floor with great vigor. Luna was having so much fun, in no small part due to the fact that few men had actually treated her with decency in her past. That’s not saying that men treated her badly, but that due to her history as a stoic and her eventual turn to Nightmare Moon, few men would even give her the time of day out of pure fear. This was why she was very reluctant to give her real name… exactly why, actually.

The two continued dancing for hours, stopping once in a while for a drink and some rest before continuing, never stopping conversation the entire time. She never had felt so comfortable with a young man… ever. Eventually though, Luna glanced up at the clock and it was almost one thirty in the morning, and she was getting a bit tired after the night’s events. As they were dancing, she decided to break the news.

“Seafire, I’m going to have to depart very soon, so I just thought I’d let you know of that. I wanted to thank you for all your kindness and showing me a wonderful evening. I’ve never felt so comfortable around another guy before and I just wanted to thank you once again,” Luna said with a great smile of gratitude. Seafire nodded in return:

“It was my pleasure, and I could say the same exact thing to you. You’ve proven to be the most down to earth girl I have met whose company is more than pleasurable. Have you time for one more dance, Moonrise?” Seafire asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes. Luna could do that much.

“Of course I do,” Luna replied with a smile. At that instant the lights dimmed down low and the tempo switched. A very familiar song to both Luna and Seafire began its opening intro. That was their cue to begin a slow dance. Luna was very nervous, but ultimately, the two of them grasped each other perfectly and chastely as if they were the perfect dance partners.

In the blue of evening

when you appear close to me, dear one,

The two of them locked eyes: Teal on Pure Blue, swaying their hips slowly and in perfect synchronization.

There in the dusk we'll share

a dream reverie,

In the blue of evening

while crickets call and stars are falling,

There 'neath the starlit sky you'll come to me.

Luna grasped his hand ever so slightly tighter while he reciprocated the same action. The two slowly moved to the soft rhythm, never leaving each other’s gaze.

In the shadows of the night we'll stand,

I'll touch your hand. And then,

Luna couldn’t help but smile at this moment. The song just seemed too perfect… once again, almost planned. Seafire couldn’t not smile every time she graced him with one of hers.

softly as your lovely eyes entreat,

our lips will meet again.

She shifted herself, releasing his hand and instead comfortably wrapping them around his neck. In return, Seafire shifted his hands to the small of her back… a more modern slow-dancing form.

In the blue of evening,

night winds above whispering “I love you,”

There will we find romance

in the blue of evening.

In place of the lyrics, the soothing sound of instrumentals filled the atmosphere of slow dancing couples. Luna did something that even surprised herself: she comfortably rested her head on his chest as they continued to gyrate to the hypnotic melody. She felt completely at peace. She wondered if her sister was watching her now… then again she didn’t care to know as she was probably planning massive blackmail at this time.

In the shadows of the night we'll stand,

I'll touch your hand. And then,

softly as your lovely eyes entreat,

our lips will meet again.

Luna shut her eyes as she let a smile grace her lips, her head still rested against Seafire’s chest. So, this is what it felt like to have a potential romantic interest?

In the blue of evening,

night winds above whispering “I love you,”

There will we find romance

in the blue of evening.

In the blue

In an impulsive action that floored even her own common sense and thought process, Luna lifted her head and planted a very soft kiss on his cheek, which said all that she needed to be said at the time, causing poor Seafire’s face to heat up and blush profusely.

of evening.

The song ended and the crowd of dancers applauded the choice of song. At that moment, Luna slowly and reluctantly dropped her grasp of her partner, giving him one last beautiful smile and touch on his arm before starting towards the exit.

“Will I have the pleasure of seeing you again, Moonrise?” Seafire asked, causing Luna to turn around with a half lidded gaze and smirk.

“I… I think you will…” she said, accentuating her smirk before walking out of sight. Seafire couldn’t wipe the grin of happiness off of his face. A girl who was down to earth, beautiful and not a “bitch” for lack of better words was hard to come by for him.

“Moonrise… such a pretty name…” he said to himself before he exited as well to get some fresh air. He turned his gaze upwards at the flawless night sky, admiring it for him.

“Luna did marvelous work tonight… then again her nights are always beautiful,” he mused to no one before he left on his own accord.

Luna strolled back to Twilight’s, ‘drunk’ off of a romantic stupor before she slid onto her bed with a smile on her face. But a question kept plaguing her thoughts:

“Should I have divulged my real name?” she continued to ask herself. This wasn’t a one-time thing. She hoped… no… wanted to see Seafire again and soon.

“I’ll tell him… in time…” she said to herself before drifting off into a very peaceful slumber.