//------------------------------//
// 177 - Truth by Moonlight 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

"What proceeds here?!" Luna drove a metal hoof to the ground before stepping forward, fury in her eyes, and her personal guard right behind her. "Night Wing, stand and report!"

Night Wing rose to her full height, even if trembling, and moved forward towards Luna. "Don't believe wha--"

She waved it away. "Enough. You have assaulted an ambassador. You have assaulted a member of royalty. You have assaulted a royal consort. You falsely testified to your position in a government agency. Even were you working in your former capacity, you turned an attempt to defuse a situation into another excuse to continue an assault. You stand charged with many grave crimes."

Night Wing sank in place, trembling and sniffling, defeated.

"I was not able to get justice for you previously, Silver, but this time, nothing stands in my way." She sat, wings spread and a confident look on her face. "This time it is entirely within my court."

Silver scrambled up to his own haunches. "Wait! Wait, please."

Luna raised a brow at him. "Neigh. Even if you forgive her, I do not. Your soft heart will not stop the flow of justice this time. Nothing you say could change this."

Silver reached a hoof. "Give me a chance, and her too. She did many things wrong." He still felt the bleeding wounds he had suffered to his chest and undercarriage to make that clear. "But I think there's a reason."

"There's always a reason." Luna looked to Night Wing. "Go ahead, tell us your reason."

She trembled and squirmed in place, her words robbed from her for a moment before she swallowed thickly. "I... I want you to be happy..."

Luna raised a brow. "And you thought it would please me to attack a friend like this?"

"He is no friend of yours!" she shouted in fury before she sank back down. "He doesn't love you..."

Luna blinked softly. "We were not aware love is a requirement for frie..." It came to her. "I..." She saw Night Wing a little differently. "You are still guilty. What you did was wrong."

Silver looked over Night Watch for injuries much like his own. "So let's make it right. Hatred and vengeance, those aren't what we want from her, and it shouldn't be what we want either."

Luna sucked air through her teeth and let out a gust of a sigh. "He isn't wrong... Not entirely."

"Don't..." Night Wing staggered to her hooves. "I'd rather be crushed at your hooves, m'lady, than hear you say such soft things. Let the last thing I see be the powerful mistress I swore myself to."

Luna glanced at the guards that watched the scene with stern and ready expressions, then over at Silver and Night Watch, quietly tending to themselves as a result of the attack. She clenched her teeth. A simple case of justice being meted out, ruined by that human. "Night Wing."

"Yes, Princess?" Night Wing dipped her head, her body tense and ready.

"Your retirement is hereby annulled. You owe us twenty years service, the first to be spent in service of the one you wronged."

Her eyes went wide and pupils contracted dangerously. "What? No! You wouldn't!!"

Luna gave a single firm nod. "You will protect the very same body you thought to harm." She leveled a hoof at Night Wing. "Protect and serve him well, and then you may return to me. We have things to discuss, after you have completed your duty."

Night Wing trembled, her face a battleground where hope, despair, and fury fought bitterly. "I... will make you proud." She sank completely to the ground. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Luna demanded.

"Disappointing you."

Luna pointed to the Watches. "Save your apologies for them. They are your master and mistress until the year is complete, and I had better not hear report of dereliction in this duty, or even Celestia herself will not stand between me and justice." She snorted softly and turned to Silver. "We trust this satisfies?"

Silver gave a little smile. "You didn't have to make her work for me, but yes." He looked to Night Wing, clucking his teeth. "To make it perfectly clear from the outset, I will only expect you to be a good pony, and a guard. If you wish to help me be a better prince, with advice, I won't stop that."

Night Wing raised a brow. "You're not going to press me into that all-consuming herd of yours?"

Night Watch rolled her eyes. "Denied."

Silver nudged against Watch. "She is my first wife, and she already declines the idea. Besides, you are a Warlock. I plan for you to act like one. Help me against the real enemies of Equestria."

Wing rose to her hooves, still shaking. "Very well. Call if you need me then... I'll have my eyes open." She darted into a shadow and was gone.

Luna let out a little sigh. "I never knew..." She brought up a hoof to her face. "The things I told her... They must have driven her mad with despair. Such a talented pegasus, she must have thought I would groom her for it... Her loyalty is what made it impossible. She never pushed the envelope. She never reached out of her safe zone. She would never ascend... But that doesn't mean... I must think about this." She turned away. "Excuse us." She departed with her guards, leaving Night and Silver in the dim hallway.

Night poked him. "You did it again."

"What?"

"You got another mare in your life."

Silver frowned a little. "This is different and you know it. She's a soldier, and I'm pretty sure she still kinda hates me."

Night shrugged softly. "I was a soldier when we met, and I thought you were insufferable."

Silver blinked at that confession. "I... really?"

Night wrinkled her nose. "It was my loyalty to Luna that kept me at your side at first. You won me over bit by bit, until I was caught thoroughly in your devious little net."

Silver glanced away and back. "Are you... worried that will happen with Night Wing?"

Night Watch let out a sigh. "Chances are low, 20%? She still carries the biggest torch for Luna, and if Luna shows any interest back, she'll forget you even exist by comparison. Damn mare should be grateful. Luna looked ready for an old fashioned execution, the kind Celestia wrote out of the books hundreds of years ago."

Silver nuzzled under Night's chin gently. "I'm glad we avoided that. Look, nopony got hurt."

"Speak for yourself." Night rolled her eyes at that. "We're both still bleeding. We should let Samantha look us over, just in case."

They could agree on that, and began heading back to their room. As they went, Silver asked, "So, about that secret..."

"Still a secret."

"Why?" Silver nudged against her. "Is it a surprise for me?"

Night smiled. "That's a good way to think of it. Don't ruin your surprises. I'll show you when the time is right, promise." She nibbled softly along his neck, making him shiver with delight. "I think you'll like it."

Emerging from the shadows, Night Wing dipped her head at Silver. "I could say, if you request it."

Silver blinked at Night Wing's appearance, but Night Watch reacted faster with flared wings and a grunt. "Don't you dare! It's mine to say or not."

Night Wing pointed at Silver. "He has more say than you, consort. If he wishes me to say, then I must."

Silver shook his head. "I would want her to tell me, not someone else, unless someone is getting hurt, she can have her secrets."

Night Watch smiled gently at that. "Nopony is getting hurt, promise. I'll tell you."

Night Wing nodded once more before fading back into the darkness, gone.

"Of all the females, you get another lunar pegasus..."

Silver blinked at that. "You don't like other lunar pegasi?"

"Of course I do... But not here, not like this." She folded her wings tightly and resumed walking. "She's going to be interesting to have around... I hope she realizes you're about as harmless to Equestria as a daisy."

Silver shook his head. "Stop acting like I'm some kind of saint, because I'm not." He spread his new wings out slowly. "I could cause a lot of problems, in theory. I'm trying not to, of course. Oh! There should be a flying instructor stopping by soon. I won't be joining the class."

Night raised a brow. "Why not? I thought you picked one out and everything."

Silver rolled a hoof. "Apparently I have a lot of things wrong, so I need to be taught from the ground up, so it's one on one time instead of slowing down a class just for me."

They arrived at their room and opened the door to find Samantha parked with the foals, all three watching them intently. Samantha saw their wounds quickly and hopped to her hooves. "Lay down on the bed, bellies up. I'll have you taken care of before you even know it."

The foals moved, imitating Samantha and making little gestures as if also ordering their parents up onto the bed, even if they said nothing more intelligent than random coos. Unable to resist the commands of all three, Silver and Night climbed up and laid down, their injured undersides exposed to the air and Samantha's quick care.

Samantha's hooves were gentle, caring, and a little wandering. Silver gasped when she brushed something sensitive. "You're larger everywhere."

Silver turned bright red at the observation, but Samantha continued, "When we engage in breeding procedures, you will have to exercise greater caution to ensure maximum compatibility."

Night raised a brow at the warning. "That was the most clinical come hither comment I ever heard."

Samantha tilted her head. "Did I do it wrong?"

Night gestured with her head. "Whatever he says, his body says 'I liked hearing that.'"

Silver's deep blush spread over his neck as he brought his legs together. On the bright side, his pain was completely forgotten about, all the more so when he felt a small object fall onto his exposed belly. It was his son, Morning Glory. He smiled brightly and flopped onto his side, hugging the little foal closely. "I can't wait until you start talking."

Night rolled over with him, trapping Clear Twilight between them. "We have a while yet, but they're perfect already."

Samantha slipped in behind Night, and the room grew quiet, with the whole of the family content to be beside one another, at least until a belly rumbled.

Rest time was over.

Silver slipped from the bed. "I'll make something. You two spoil me with how often you make food." With a smile, he set to preparing something delicious for all his family, big and small.

He'd suffered through much worse days than that.