Not only was the castle's circular indoor pool made of white marble, it was entirely surrounded by white marble as well. Phoebus had never seen such a lavish swimming pool before. Luna walked down the steps into the water and began to float lazily on her back.
"Are you not going to join me, Captain?" she asked, looking over at him. "Strip yourself of your uniform and come to me at once. That is an order." Her tone was playful, but Phoebus knew she was dead serious. His hooves fumbled as he took off his uniform and stepped into the lukewarm water wearing nothing but his boxers. He blushed a little as the princess looked him up and down. He swam over to her as she stared at the deep, sprawling scar on his right foreleg. Her turquoise eyes were soft with sympathy and concern as she lightly touched the scar. Phoebus flinched at Luna's surprisingly intimate gesture.
"This is a shrapnel wound," she said. "How did you get this?" Her voice was soft and gentle, and it made Phoebus feel safe. Still, he squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the flashbacks of bombs and gunshots that threatened to attack his sanity
"In the Appaloosan War, Ma'am," he replied. "Four of my best friends died in that battle. We were hit by a grenade, and I nearly lost my leg."
"Ah," Luna said, nodding. "That is why there's a Distinguished Service medal on your uniform."
"Yes, Princess Luna," Phoebus murmured.
"I have seen your nightmares about the war, Captain," she said. "I knew you lost four of your friends long before I selected you to join my guard. I already knew about your wounds and your medal; your heroism and service were some of the reasons why I chose you." She used her horn to bring two towels over, gave one to Phoebus, and magically dried herself off. "You had no disciplinary action taken against you, none of your superiors had anything negative to say about you. However," she said, "the real reason why I wanted to spend time with you tonight was to have you officially sworn in as a soldier of the Royal Lunar Guard. Get dressed and follow me." Phoebus obeyed and followed his princess to the throne room.