//------------------------------//
// 234 - Moongazing 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Night Watch slipped away when Silver fell asleep. It wasn't hard to get away from him.

Subtle motions carried her from the bed, and out the door. She moved through the quiet halls of the castle, unopposed by the guards that were quite used to her presence.

"It's late for you, is it not?" asked a gentle voice. Night looked up to see Luna. "You appear troubled."

Night didn't want to talk to Luna, or any other that would be in her new 'family'. She snorted softly.

Luna nodded softly. "I will not force you. I've done enough of that. Night Watch, I do care about you. May I accompany you?"

Night froze a moment. Why would Luna care about her, really? She had Silver. What was Night worth, in the end? Even as she thought it, she realized how toxic her thoughts had become. Being alone... maybe it wasn't what she needed. "Alright..." She moved on, and Luna followed. She proceeded up some stairs to the roof where Silver had 'thrown' himself once long ago.

"A fateful place," spoke Luna behind her. "Mistakes were made here."

It was... Night looked around before turning her gaze to the moon hanging high above. She let out a little sigh, relishing the evening breeze that ran through her fur.

Luna settled beside her. "So much is changing, so quickly. It is not just for you. The idea of being in a family, any family, still terrifies me... It is only that you are present that I can find hope and stability."

Night blinked at that. "Not Silver?"

"Silver is a fine stallion," agreed Luna. "But he is a stallion, and alien besides. I will hold him close, and he will love me, but he can't know this world as you do. Night, I want you as a herd-sister. I mean that."

Night felt relief and anger well up together in a confusing mess that left her nauseous for a moment. "I'm not First Wife anymore!" she hissed out, recoiling. "If that's what you were hoping for, it's gone, taken."

Luna perked her ears. "You aren't? What has occurred?"

"He took that title from me." She sank to the cool stone tiles. "He took it away and he said he'll make those decisions from now on."

Luna tilted her head faintly. "That's a dangerous decision. He has no filter between him and any suitors while he's busy making himself... Night, you will still be my herd-sister, will you not?"

Night nodded slowly. "I suppose... I... Does it matter if I'm there?"

"It matters to me," stated Luna firmly. "It matters to Silver and Fast. Even though you have had... rough times, I should think it matters to your once-mentor." She spread her wings slowly. "Your family is growing, both larger and up. Will you grow with it?"

Night felt bile rising a moment. "Fast would... she said she would rather have Silver than me."

Luna reached and set a hoof on Night's back. "You aren't the largest pony in this family. You never will be, nor will I. I, overshadowed by mine own sister. I love her, truly, but the shadow she casts... Night, will you live in this shadow with me?" She flashed a gentle smile. "I think we have something to offer the other, as friends and wives."

A smile quirked its way onto Night's face. "Shadow is where my people belong."

"Then we will master this shadow," spoke Luna confidently. "Together?"

"Together." Night sat up, the smile becoming a step more confident. Suddenly, Luna was right there, nose to nose, then kissing her. Night let out a gasp into the exchange as they began deepening it. It was an almost desperate motion as the uncertainties of both came rushing out and flowed powerfully into that shared kiss that seemed to go on forever.

By the end of it, Night was sure of one thing. She forgave Luna. She forgave her and wanted to know more of her future wife.





Samantha grinned widely as she worked. She would do well by her once-stallion turned father. She had the address and so much information and was ready to act. She bounced out of her office, giggling a little as she went. Surely this couldn't go wrong!

She left the castle and headed down to Decanter, looking left and right as she went. This day would be a day off for foals. Moonbeam was home, as would be the others. That's fine, she didn't want to run into the teacher in her class. She would be busy. Samantha crept up towards an apartment building and adopted a serious face as she came closer. It was game time.

She stepped inside the building and looked around. It was bare and as low key as most of the others in the area, but it was clean and orderly. As places went in Decanter, it was upper class. Samantha walked past the front desk, where a bored guard, or was he a janitor, sat. Whatever they were, since Samantha didn't pause, no questions were-- "You don't live here?"

The rotund lunar pony leaned forward in his chair. "You don't look like you rightly belong in this portion of town. You lost?"

Samantha shook her head. "I know exactly where I'm going."

He raised a brow at her. "You do know it's my job to make sure the ponies that live here ain't bothered by random ponies. Now, seeing as I don't know you, you qualify as 'random', see?"

She frowned a little. She could dart him, but that would be a clear violation of her given code of ethics. "I am here to extend an invitation to one of your residents from a royal in the palace." The truth was supposed to work, right?

"Do you have any proof of that? See, lotsa ponies like ta say that kinda thing, like they're all Celestia's handmaidens or something." He rolled a hoof at her. "Not saying you're one of them, but I have to be careful, ya know?"

She nodded at him. That seemed a reasonable precaution, but she did have evidence! She produced her badge of office, marking her as from the castle and a pony of import there. She laid it in front of him. "You may examine it as you wish."

His eyes went wide as he half fell from his chair to reach it and looked it over. "You're with the Lunar Aid?! Shoot, why didn't ya say so earlier?" He dropped the badge like it was hot. "I'm awful sorry. I was just, ya know, doin' my job and all that!"

Samantha reclaimed her badge. "I'm not angry." And she wasn't. "Please, continue to protect the ponies of this building. May I proceed now?"

"Please, yes! Go right on up." He took off his hat and put it to his chest and kept it there as he watched her walk right on past. Only when she was out of sight did he let his gut back out and he hopped back up on his chair. Why the Lunar Aid had come to that building, he didn't know, and he wasn't going to pry.

Samantha bounded up the stairs easily to the third floor, which is where her target lived. 308, 310, ...  There it was. She smiled as she beheld the target door. As if to confirm it, a grey butterfly was on it with the name 'Shade Fire' written clearly for all to see. Samantha reached up and clopped softly.

"Who is it?" The door opened a moment later to reveal the shadow pixie, shorter than Samantha by a bit, with large wings like a butterfly and a curious look on her face. "Oh, hello. Is this about your son?"

Samantha shook her head. "He's doing quite well by all reports. I didn't come here for him, I came here for you."

Shade tilted her head. "For me?"

"Are you aware of Silver and Night Watch?"

"I should say I am," she confessed easily, her eyes only growing wider. "Why?"

"They are my adoptive parents. Silver wi--"

"They are?!" Shade shook her head quickly. "I had no idea. They rescued us, all of us. I mean, umbrum. What about them?"

"Silver would like to meet you to exchange cordialities and possibly induct you in his herd."

Shade flopped against the doorframe she stood in. "Herd? Is... what is that?" She feared what she would hear.

"A gathering of females and one male, Silver being the male. It functions similarly to a marr--"

"But we never met!" objected Shade Fire. "And they're both so famous... Why would they even consider... me?"

Samantha pointed to Shade Fire. "He appreciates a keen mind, which you have, and he likes foals and children of all sorts, like you do." She leaned forward. "Do you enjoy roleplaying?"

Shade Fire looked all the more perplexed. "I've played a little O&O, why?"

"Perfect! Silver and Night are avid players and would gladly play with you."

Shade Fire turned red with a combination of frustration, embarrassment, and other emotions warring within her. "Look, I'm flattered, really, I am, but this... I'm not looking for a famous partner, or any. I'm happy the way I am, and I don't really know either of them. You may as well come from on high telling me Princess Celestia wants my hoof."

"Well, you'd technically be bound to her too, does that help?"

It didn't. Shade Fire backed away a step, trembling a little. "I'm just a teacher. I didn't ask for more than that."

Even Samantha could see she was losing her audience. "Perhaps you should meet first? Discuss things and see how well you get along?"

"Thank... you but..." She closed the door slowly. "Bye." It clicked shut.

Samantha frowned at the closed door. That hadn't gone the way she had planned at all! She could see no way forward that wasn't a violation of the Golden Rule. She didn't get it. If somepony told her Silver really wanted her, she would be delighted and go right back to being his wife instead of his daughter. Why would anyone not want that?

If there was anything she had learned, it was that other ponies saw things differently than her. Miss Shade Fire didn't want to be wooed or married. Fine... Samantha let out a little sigh and clopped the door once. "Sorry." She turned from it and trotted away, abandoning the idea of Shade Fire.

Perhaps simply wanting to do the right thing wasn't enough. She had to decide if what she was going to do should be done at all, even for good reasons. That or Shade Fire was a terrible pony, but Samantha had learned she was the broken one, more often than not. 

She would improve.