//------------------------------//
// 237 - Behold 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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Silver helped Night to the ground and nuzzled her. "You were great."

She smiled even as a chuckle forced its way free of her. "I learned it from you, dummy." She looked past to Luna speaking quietly to Night Wing. "It seems you have something else in common with Luna."

"Hmm?" He noticed a moment after saying that. "We both have a lunar filly we adore."

"That is correct," spoke Luna as she settled down and set a hoof over Wing's fallen form. "I will relieve her of guarding you, Silver, and take her on myself."

Wing's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

Luna nipped one of Wing's tufted ears. "Silver can't have all the mares, and your fight reminded me how much I value your presence. You will have to learn. We live in a different age than you imagine, and we will adapt. Will you learn beside me?"

Wing glanced rapidly between Luna and Silver. "You will want me to respect your... coltfriend."

"Husband," corrected Luna. "You will afford him respect and care. He cares for you, do you not see? He is devoted to being a good prince. Be with us, for Equestria."

"I'm not doing that for him. I'd soo--"

"Enough," stated Silver, rising despite the aches. "I'm not marrying you, or otherwise foisting myself on you. Enough. You're Luna's bodyguard, so your behavior reflects on her, and Equestria as a whole."

Wing grumbled softly, but her complaints faded away as her head came to rest on the floor. The fight had taken more out of her than even she wanted to admit, and she faded from consciousness to recover.

Watch wasn't ready for sleep, though Luna had wounded her badly. "We're married."

Luna perked her ears. "We are." She carefully stood up and around her slumbering guard, approaching Watch. "I've done something else I need to--"

"No apologies." Watch forced herself to sit up. "We all did our part. Are you ready to be a wife?"

Luna met the gaze. "Are you?" She turned it towards Silver. "And look at you, standing so tall... It's like a dream."

Silver tensed and looked for that sense. He wasn't dreaming and he let out a sigh of relief.

The reaction made Luna raise a brow. "I meant that in jest. Stallion that has taken the sun and moon, Ambassador of our country, it is time, you realize."

"Time?"

"To wear your crown. With Celestia and I properly married, the coronation may proceed without further delay." Luna raised a hoof and ran it along a jagged bit of Silver's armor carefully. "Night Wing tested your mettle thoroughly."

Silver glanced to Wing and Watch. "We have many wounds to heal. John operated... I didn't like him, but he had an important message." He stole a quick kiss from Luna's cheek. "Every morning I hear Samantha rambling about her plans, they're good."

"But they won't heal it alone." Luna nodded at Silver. "It has been too long... I have been hiding from my own past. I am ready to face them." She gave a hopeful smile. "But not alone, we trust?"

Watch shook her head. "You're part of our herd. We watch out for our own." She glanced aside at Silver. "Even if that vaguely includes all of Equestria." Her eyes moved to Wing. "So... she doesn't seem the herding type, and there would be--"

"I am not asking to induct her," cut in Luna.

Silver rolled a hoof. "Are you asking us to look the other way?"

Luna raised a brow. "I respect her, and admire her, but I do not covet her in such a way. She may be drawn to me physically, but that is one-way, and I have made it clear.  I hope to find her a more suitable partner, but she will be my guard for now. This will please her, and she is a fine pony. She is just one wound of many that needs... healing and care."

Silver nodded at that. "I'll try to not be in the way. I don't have anything against her, besides aches and pains." He glanced to the door and back to his wives. "Shouldn't we... do something?"

Luna blinked, then smiled a bit. "We have been together before. They can wait. That I am yours is not in question. What remains to commence is your coronation, and neither of us are in ideal physical shape to consummate this bond."

Watch forced her way to shaking hooves. "Ideal or not, we should to be official. Don't worry, we'll be gentle." She smirked as she said it, looking the worst for wear of the three.

They, gently, made it quite clear that they were a family unit and married securely.





Silver was led by a procession of ponies in fine attire and closed eyes. "Behold, behold!" they sang as they walked in measured steps. The entire thing had an intense feeling of repetition to Silver, as it wasn't the first time he had experienced this social ascension.

What was new was what was beside him, and on him. Despite his regal garb, he wore a foal at either side, proudly displaying that he was not just a prince, but a father, and a dutiful one at that.

To his immediate right stood Night Watch, dressed in flowing garments with her head held high and eyes forward.

Just behind him were the Royal Sisters. Each held up his cape, one side to each of their mouths as they walked, showing they belonged to him as surely as many who watched had heard.

It was not a one sided ownership. When they arrived at the end of the procession, to some non-alicorn nobility and Blueblood who stood severely, the cape was drawn free of Silver with a careful communal tug. He turned to his newest wives and bore his neck. Celestia advanced and bit down on his throat. 

She could have killed him easily, but instead she kissed gently at the spot.

Luna was next, then Night. Unlike the others, Night sank her teeth in for a moment in a sting of pain, but she licked the wound she created and smiled, and he returned the gesture.

All three backed away as Silver turned to face the nobles.

Blueblood was the first to speak. "Let the lands of Equestria know that it has a prince, sworn to uphold its ideals and ready to defend it." With a soft glow of his horn, the crown was floated over from its pillow towards Silver. "May your reign be long and benevolent."

"Wait!" Discord appeared, hovering in the air. "Not all the alicorns are here. This won't do at all!"

Celestia raised a brow at the chaos spirit. "Cadance and Twilight are too far away to ask--"

"Not them," He waved the thought away. "I mean right here, in Canterlot. You're leaving out my alicorn! Why, I bet he'd look smashing in a crown."

The gathered nobles grumbled. Prince Blueblood moved to continue despite Discord, but the crown slid from his grip as Discord grabbed the silver adornment easily. "Ah ah ah."

Luna's wings flared. "This is too far, even for you!"

Silver held up a hoof to her, then turned to face Discord fully. "Hey, man, we've been friends since forever. Now isn't the time."

"But this is the time," objected Discord. "If I don't get him over right now, you'll never even give him a chance."

"Who?" asked Silver.

"You met him before. Trainwreck? Big, kinda obvious. There's no way you forgot him."

Even Silver could remember a pony like that. Celestia as well as she stepped forward. "He's gotten himself into trouble, but I feel he will learn from his mistakes. He'll get his chance."

"You promise?"

Celestia raised a hoof to her chest. "I will give him a fair shot. Every pony deserves that."

"Right right. I'll hold you to that. Here you are." He dropped the crown on Silver's head without ceremony, then vanished.

Blueblood advanced and nodded. "As I was saying, behold, our new prince!"

The crowd cheered and clopped. It became an overwhelming sound for a moment, and Silver knew he had to move. He spread his wings wide and took a pose to show off his horn before he launched himself free of the balcony only to land on an open carriage waiting for him that began to wheel forward. His wives, all winged, landed soon after to accompany him even as his foals cooed and reached out towards the ponies they passed.

He spotted Samantha, waving eagerly from beside Nefertari, who was one of the few faces in the crowd not overwhelmed with emotion of one sort or another. She calmly watched him going, her own plans in her head.

"Over here!" called a familiar voice. Rough Draft was holding Trixie on his back, who was waving wildly at them as they went. It was only at that moment that he realized that adoption ran powerfully through his family, from his own adopted parents, to his adopted daughter and her adopted son.

He saw his colthood friends, from gym owner to actress to even Rough Tumble who gave a truck horn motion as he went by in silent approval.

There were changelings buzzing about, joining in the cheering as the royal procession pushed past. He saw Fast Change who hollered with a lack of decorum and pumped a leg in the air. "I call dibs on next!" She called out with a predatory grin. There was no malice there. Silver felt only warm friendship.

The umbrum had made a patch for themselves, where it seemed everything went monochrome and the lines from one pony bled into the next, making their wild cheering somewhat confusing to watch. One he recognized though. With bright blue eyes and a familiar red dress and skirt, Shade Fire stood out and looked at him pointedly. There were so many questions there, but they weren't to be answered yet.

One thing that was absent were any attacks. No explosions rocked his ride, and they made it to the end of the parade route peacefully. Silver smiled as he went, waving at all the ponies as he went by. All the souls he'd share responsibility for. His adventure felt like it was over in many ways, but was just starting in whole other ways.

Silver Lining was well and truly gone. David Silver was a fading memory.

Long live Prince Silver Watch, Ambassador of the land. He quirked a smile at that. He was a prince of friendship, in a way. It was a more courtly and proper friendship, but he would offer a hoof out to the world while he kept an eye on his deserving subjects.