Fleur's Afternoon Shindig ( Invite Only )

[Pony]

The french mare donned her sunhat and trotted out to the back area of her house. She had a nice arrangement of patio furniture all set up and ready to go, and as well a few snacks and refreshments laid out. There was lemonade, some nice cheeses and biscuits, and of course some wine. It wasn't anything particularly fancy by normal standards, but there was something to be said by the simple pleasures of a tasty snack on a breezy afternoon. Outside her back yard you could see the trees which formed the perimeter of her property down the way. It gave the whole area a nice outdoorsy, pleasant feel.

Her house was in fact rather large, a mansion really, positioned on the outskirts of canterlot. It was so nice to get away from all of the hustle and bustle to a place of her own. And of course there were always the pesky media hounds who would try to follow her around. So, she preferred to live a little out of the way, at least not downtown

Fleur had already sent out the invitations to a few of her friends, and as well a couple of ponies she figured it might be fun to get to know. Nothing too extravagant or special or anything, just a small little social event to mingle over the lunch hour. She figured it might be a little fun to hold something a little smaller scale than usual. The day was blissful and sunny, and a warm breeze was blowing through the afternoon air. Taking a seat, the actress breathed in the crisp outdoor scent, basking in the midday sun, waiting for her guests to arrive.

[Solaria]

Princess Cadance cantered down one of the outlying boulevards of Canterlot, her gathered mare's tailed mane ruffling in the summery breeze that swept through the mountainside settlement. With hoofguards clicking rhythmically on the cobbled street, the pink mare focused her magic to open a small saddlebag and levitate her invitation for reading as she walked. The pony who had written it was very skilled with a quill, as the flowing script was almost art unto itself: the smooth lines and perfect strokes were somewhat mesmerizing as they described a small afternoon get-together by the actress Fleur-De-Lis in her luxurious abode. All in all, it seemed as though the royal guest was still headed in the right direction after reviewing the address.

Cadance wasn't quite sure what to expect upon arriving, as she'd heard that famous artists had a very different view on social gatherings than did the nobles and bureaucratic dignitaries with whom she spent so much time. What could be described as "little" could be several dozen guests for all she knew, but she was admittedly excited about being able to meet Fleur. During her few rest periods while on tour for the Canterlot Royal Public Relations offices, she had seen the unicorn actress's name advertised more and more each time. The alicorn had never been able to step away long enough to catch a performance until after her marriage and her transition to less nomadic duties within her department. That night had been wonderful, and the other mare's performance had enthralled the rose pony.

In seemingly no time at all Cadance had left the closely-clustered shops and businesses behind, as well as the obligatory greetings and nods to nearly every pony she passed. Instead, her companions were rustling leaves and filtered sunlight in an area that still baffled her. Somehow, on a mountainside, a combination of pony efforts (though mainly unicorn if she had to guess, considering the city's concentrated population of them) had allowed for not only a royal city but outlying vineyards and even a few plantations, along with more private properties. It was always amazing to see.

As the princess trotted up a subtle yet inviting path, she found her eyes moving further and further upward to take in the entirety of the home that lay before her. Masterfully carved gableboards accented the gentle roofline, while clerestories allowed the warm light of her aunt's sun to enter the mansion at just the right angles. Key and cornerstones supported brilliantly designed masonry, and overall the structure left quite the impression on Cadance, despite her familiarity with the grandiose and august.

She had barely reached the door when she was allowed inside, and directed to the back patio where the garden party would be taking place. This didn't, however, stop the royal mare from admiring the interior decor as well. Well-placed enfilades allowed for a nearly unobstructed view from one end of the house to the other, and left her hoping that she'd be invited to an indoor soiree here sometime in the near future. As she stepped out onto the veranda to meet with her hostess, Cadance inclined her head into a bow at the pale and elegant thespian pony.

"Lady Fleur-De-Lis, what a pleasure to finally meet you in face to face," she said amiably, giving a genuine warm smile. "Thank you very much for your invite, it's not often I attend parties without official business attached." She knew almost for certain that Fleur knew who she was as well, but for the sake of politeness she introduced herself. "I'm Princess Cadance, and to be honest I'm more than a little excited!"

[Pony]

After a brief time soaking up the delightful weather, the mare's ears perked up. She could hear what sounded like the click clack of hooves approaching from within the house. "Ah, magnifique! My first guest." The actress then stood up and turned expectantly to face the patio door. And who should step through it other then Princess Cadence herself! A subtle grin across her face, she trotted over, luscious pink mane bobbing up and down, as Cadence made her introduction.

"Bonjour... but I am so glad you could attend! You must be very busy all of the time." She bowed respectfully. "I can assure you there is no business here, and you may be tired of such pressing issues lately. But don't worry, I'd just like you to have fun here, and I'm glad your excited!" Fleur then looked over towards the patio table. "Please, feel free to have a seat, you are the first." She then gestured beside the table where the snacks and refreshments had been prepared. "And would you care for anything? Something to snack on, wine perhaps?" A pink glow emanated from her horn as she magically lifted the bottle which was sitting in a silver bucket with ice. "Fort Blanc '86, I picked it to go well with the cheese."

[Sherlock Hooves]

Sherlock's head hung off his couch as he slumbered away, the previous night had worn him out. Chasing down a smuggler for the inspector, not something he normally did but it relived his boredom. There was a knock at his door, it didn't wake him, another louder this time. He grumbled a little but didn't move. Eventually there was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door followed by, "Mr. Hooves for Celestia's sake get up! Its 1 in the afternoon." Sherlock blinked awake and groaned. He trotted over to his apartment door and unlocked it allowing his landmare entrance. Mrs. Canter entered with a bundle of mail, "Honestly Mr. Hooves, keeping such hours. Its not healthy." "Yes thank you nanny, I'll keep your wise words in mind the next time I pull an all night stakeout and chase through greater Canterlot." He rubbed his eyes and yawned, looking at the pile of mail the older unicorn mare had brought in with her. "So what do we have for today Mrs. Canter?" She sighed and looked back at her tenant annoyed. "I'm your landmare, NOT your housekeeper or your secretary." Sherlock sighed and sat down at his desk waiting for her. Mrs. Canter rolled her eyes and floated the letters in front of her. "Lets see, request of your services..." "Just put all those in the in box I'll look through them later." "Request to appear in Canterlot court." "Jury summons or am I being brought up on civil charges again?" "Looks like charges" Sherlock groaned and held out his hoof "I'll have to show this to the inspector, I don't want to be drug in front of their majesties again. What's that last one?" Mrs. Canter looked and turned the envelope to face him. "Looks like an invitation" Sherlock's eyes shot open, "An... invitation? From who?" "Hmm... Oh its Miss Fleur De Lis the actress, I didn't know you knew her Sherlock. Oh you must introduce me to her sometime, or at least get me an autograph." Sherlock wasn't paying much attention to Mrs. Canter though, he was scrambling around his apartment frantically trying to clean himself up. "Oh for Celestia's sake! That's right it was today, how how could I have let that slip my mind?! Luna's Mane she's not going to be happy!" Mrs. Canter looked on at Sherlock with confusion, "Sherlock what's wrong?" "Not now Mrs. Canter I'm late for Fleur's party! Blast I'm a wreck. Thank you for reminding me and I'll make sure you get your rent but for now I need you to leave!" Sherlock started to shove Mrs. Canter out, "Oh alright alright Sherlock but you'll only be an hour late at the most." "Yes but I made a promise and I need to clean up. No way I'm going to Fleur's party looking like this. Now off you go nanny, thank you." And with that he slammed the door in her face and ran into his bathroom to wash up quickly. Soon enough he was clean and redressed in one of his suits. Light olive with a light blue shirt, no tie as he owned none; he combed his mane and tail and bolted out the door making his way to the street. There he gave a whistle and hailed a cab. "The Fleur De Lis estate and step on it!"

[Solaria]

Cadance was admittedly a little starstruck as she was approached by her beautiful hostess. It was amazing to her how some ponies like Fleur could look amazing no matter what the season, and the simple sunhat that the actress had chose for the afternoon was subtle yet defining. It wasn't that the princess was fashionably inept, just that she had to work to make herself look as she did. Fleur seemed to come by it naturally.

At Fleur's invitation she took a seat at the table, smiling back and nodding in response to her offer of a snack. The alicorn's taste for fine wines may not have been too well-known, but she was fully prepared to take advantage of the other mare's fine tastes!

"I would love some of the wine, and some cheese to go with it. It seems like you know just how to complement your culinary fares," she said in a genteel tone. "I am rather busy most of the time, but I can't imagine your profession is much easier or any less demanding. Do you have any current projects with which you're involved?" Cadance asked politely, her expression belying genuine interest.

[Pony]

A magical glow encompassed one of the crystal stem ware glasses before Fleur, and she poured a glass of wine for the Princess. The cups seemed quite nice in fact, etched crystal with golden highlights. The sculpted stems twisted up elegantly in a helix, branching out around the side of the glass before tapering off. It might have seemed expensive but in fact she had purchased them off of a travelling Canterlot sales pony, who had been quite adept at the craft. Fleur smiled, and the white, slightly olive in colour liquid cascaded into the goblet. The cork to the bottle popped back in and she replaced the wine back to the silver bucket, which glinted faintly in the sunlight.

Grabbing a small plate, she placed a couple small biscuits, grapes, and the Morbier cheese upon it, setting it and the wine gently before Cadence. "Here you are!" ( She said this in her Penelope accent; Think her voice from the show ) It was a soft, French cheese; nutty with a hint of fresh hay. The pungent dairy paired well with the white, and as well the fruit. She had made the combination before, to fair success. Of course, sometimes you had to experiment a little too! ( Sometimes, it didn't go quite so well. ) Not that many ponies would probably be able to tell the difference, and to be honest, she wasn't the greatest culinary expert herself. It's just that she only really knew about these kinds of things from her parents and her family, since it was part of her culture.

After pouring herself a glass as well, the actress then took a seat across from the lovely alicorn princess, and replied to her question. "Ah yes, well I stay kind of busy, perhaps not as much now, since I have been putting together things for my new play." She took a sip of her wine. "In fact anyday now I'll be doing some casting for it. It's all ready, the draft is all ready. And since I know you are going to ask here it is" She gestured dramatically with her hooves as she began to describe.

"Two Mares, Elizabeth and Dazzle, Elizabeth, well to do and enterprising, a smart pony, elegant and shrewd, and Dazzle, an energetic upstart who wants nothing more than to see the world! The two go into business together and become great friends, but struggle between the lines of friendship. So the whole thing centres around the two, I'll play a lot off the dynamics between the characters because that's where the main interest will be. Of course, I've always been known for character-centric writing."

Fleur shifted slightly in her chair, it was clear she was getting a little passionate about the topic. "Actually most of my troupe is busy with other engagements, so as I say, I'll have to do some casting. I'm still not sure who to pick for the roles. I don't know how popular this will be, as I know most ponies know me for Penelope. Still, I suppose you could say, I've made ample funding from that to exhibit a a large degree of creative control over the project!" The white mare made a pouty-face "Besides, I was kind of tired of listening to Mane (Brooks). At least for now."

[Sherlock Hooves]

The taxi finally pulled up to Fleur De Lis' estate, Sherlock hopped out and paid the cabby and trotted to the house with an annoyed look on his face. From behind him he heard a gruff voice shout, "What no tip?!" Sherlock turned around and faced the driver, "As slow as you were? I was already pressed for time, now because of your inept driving I'm even later. Be happy I paid you at all!" He turned back around and trotted back to the house grumbling, "For Celestia's sake.... this is Canterlot, I could have chartered a balloon and gotten here quicker." He arrived at the front door and stopped for a moment, looking at his reflection in the window to adjust himself. Normally he didn't bother too much with appearances, outside of looking professional...ish for his clients. He straightened his mane, and adjusted his suit; satisfied he looked well enough he opened the door and made his way to the back. He waved to the butler, "No need I know where the party is." Fleur's butler sighed a little and let Sherlock threw, "Of course Mr. Hooves she's expecting you, though a little earlier than this." Sherlock groaned, "Yes thank you for the reminder." He made his way to the back patio and exited the mansion. He blinked a few times to adjust to the light; once he had he noticed Fleur sitting at the table with princess Cadence of all ponies. He trotted over, "Fleur, sorry I'm late I uh.... well lets just say sorry I'm late and we'll leave it at that." He turned to the princess and bowed slightly, Sherlock wasn't fond of formalities but he would endure for the royal family..... most of it. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, a pleasure."

[Solaria]

Cadence inhaled slowly as the wine was uncorked and poured into the exquisite glass, savoring the aroma and admiring the impressive crystalware. If the drink already smelled this good, she could only imagine what it would taste like. She began slowly snacking on the grapes and biscuits when everything was set before her, wanting to save the wine and cheese for last as much as she could. After all, those were the best part!

The warm breeze played with her gathered mane and caused the princess to close her eyes and just enjoy the moment, with delicious flavors dancing along her tongue and the gentlesunlight playing along her face. Overall, the party was quite relaxed and enjoyable so far! Though she expected nothing less from the lady actress who had begun describing her current status.

Fleur was weaving a grand tapestry about how she would be casting and the vision she was trying to achieve. Cadence admittedly didn't understand every little detail, but it was easy enough to follow and rather interesting. It definitely sounded like she would be having another night out on Canterlot once the production came to the stage.

"I'm sure such responsibility will be well worth it," the alicorn commented warmly, taking a sip of the fantastic wine and resisting a sigh of pleasure. "Nothing really compares to seeing your own vision come into play, and casting like that should help you along rather nicely!"

As Cadence took a small bite of the wonderfully full and nutty Morbier, her attention was so focused on the medley of sensations playing across her taste buds that she nearly missed a new arrival trotting onto the vista. While he spoke quietly to Fleur, the mare swallowed her bite and turned to face the stallion completely. After inclining her head in return to the bow, she gave a curious grin.

"The pleasure is all mine. Might I ask the name of such a fine gentlecolt?" she inquired.

[Sherlock Hooves]

Sherlock blinked and blushed at himself, "Oh how rude of me, my apologies your highness. I'm a consulting detective of.... some repute, but still fairly well known in the Canterlot society. Sherlock Hooves, at your service princess Cadenza." After his introduction he turned back to Fleur, "Our hostess was gracious enough to invite me, even though I'm not much for these occasions. However I could never refuse an invitation from my dear Fleur."

[Dusky Wing]

She was late, so very late! An invitation from one of the most well known ponies in Canterlot...and she had to over sleep. Had she been hired for a role in a play...stuff like this would get her fired! The mare quickly trotted through the streets of Canterlot, a simple white sun hat atop her head and a short white gown covering her back. Honestly she had no idea how to dress up for an event like this but she gave it her best shot! Her horn lit up slightly as she held her invitation with telekinesis, reading over it quickly and looking around at her surroundings, she was close...but it would still be a while. Maybe she should have brought something as an apology.

A couple of minutes and a few mental arguments with herself later, Fleur's home came into view. Estrella stood at the front gates of the mansion, eyes widening in surprise at how big the place was. Doubt once again wormed its way into Essie's mind, she'd met Fleur at a play rehearsal, the mare was quite friendly and easy to get along with, but to be invited to a place like this? She was sure it should have been reserved for close friends and not...work acquaintances. A few more moments of gawking passed before a light cough got her attention. She shook her head and stared forward at the butler ushering her inside, slowly trotting forward and nodding her head in greeting.

"Hello kind sir. Miss Fleur invited me to her lovely home. My name is Estrella." She bowed.

Another attention grabbing cough from the butler made her rise and stare at the male, the stallion shaking his head with a small smile across his features.

"Ah yes...Miss Estrella. Please come right this way and worry not about being so formal with the staff." He smiled, leading the slightly embarrassed mare towards the small gathering of ponies.

[Pony]

A smirk formed on her lips as Sherlock made his belated appearance. Ah yes, Sherlock meets Princess Cadenza! Musing slightly, she wondered how the Detective might have reacted if say, Princess Celestia were here. Given his err, previous encounters, it would have been interesting to say the least. Of course, that was very doubtful, what with how busy the pastel princess seemed to keep herself. And it was all the better that Cadence had been able to come. Anyways, musings aside, she was more than glad Sherlock had been able to come.

Turning her attention momentarily away from Cadence, she looked towards the new arrival. "Hello Sherlock, so glad you could arrive!" She proclaimed enthusiastically. Shifting slightly she casually nibbled on a biscuit. "And of course, your right on time. Now..." The mare then looked about the area as if somepony were about to emerge. "There should still be a few attending. Where might they be?" And of course, as if right on cue, she could make out her fellow actress making her way towards the small gathering.

The elegant mare smiled and waved, pulling out a chair both for Estrella and Sherlock with her unicorn magic. The legs made a thunk as they landed in position, ready to seat her guests. "Why don't you come and have a seat miss Estrella?"

[Solaria]

Cadence grinned and leaned a little closer to Sherlock as he introduced himself, her eyes glimmering with curiosity. A detective! She'd never actually met one before. After all, what use would she have had for one at any point? The guards always dealt with missing persons or objects within the castle, usually. She had seen one of those pony noir films once, though. The dark aesthetic and gritty conversation had always made her giggle during a time when she was being taught to be prim and proper around everypony. Somehow, though, she didn't feel as though she'd find Sherlock in a heavy, dirty coat, prowling lightless alleys looking for trouble.

"That must be very interesting work!" the princess exclaimed, pondering on it a little more. "Although I suppose if you took a case for something like a missing shoe, it could get a little boring..."

The pink alicorn was distracted with the arrival of yet another pony, this one a mare with a rather monochrome mane that was actually very flattering. After living in a city so dominated by nobleponies with manestyles meant to be as eyecatching as could be, the more subdued coloration resulted in an attractive contrast. Fleur greeted the pony and addressed her as Estrella, to which Cadence added her own nod of her head and smile.

"Estrella is it?" she asked. "How great to meet you, I'm Princess Cadence! Lady Fleur seems to have so many interesting friends."