Luna was having a peaceful glide through the night sky on a nice clear night, with her Magnificent Moon shining across the land. As she looked below, she could see many of her and her sister's charges taking in the joys of the night, from observing her magnificent constellations through their telescopes, which she had no doubt Twilight Sparkle was doing at this time, to spending some time with good friends at one of the local pubs accross Canterlot. She even spotted some young couples having some late night romantic walks together.
It warmed her heart that the ponies below her felt a sense of security. And she was especially pleased as of late, as ponies came to offer their thanks for keeping the terrors of the night at bay. Some had come to notice that while she was away in the moon, Celestia herself had a hard time keeping back the night terrors, which had caused certain snotty nobles to gain high positions of authority under her nose many times, but with the Princess of the Night back, she was soon able to mend her mistakes, and Luna, well, she made handling the night terrors look like it was nothing more then walking your pet.
Luna of course would always send out a spell every so often to scan for any pony's dreams in need of her assistance. Something that made Celestia a tad jealous, even if she did get some spotty premonitions from time to time. As far as dreams went for the moment, everything was right as rain. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that somepony needed her. She didn't know who, she didn't know how, but something in her mind told her she needed to help somepony.
All of the sudden, she began to hear a commotion from below, near the outskirts of Canterlot, both curiosity and worry took over her judgement, and urged her to investigate the commotion. As she came upon the scene, she gasped at the sight before her. Down below, young teenage unicorns were bullying a younger colt; who had a coat of fur and a mane that both matched the colors of the mist sometimes seen at night. And upon closer inspection, Luna wore a look of shock. This wasn't your average unicorn, pegasi or earth pony being dealt an unfair treatment. This little colt was a Bat Pony, and he was far too young to be taking on these teenagers. She heard one of them say, "I don't know how you got into Canterlot, but we are going to teach you what happens to freaks like you, who are unwelcome."
The young colt merely lay there, either too exhausted, or too frightened to move. "Yeah, show him who rules this town Ace," one of the other teenage unicorns said.
Luna couldn't bare to watch another moment of this young Bat Pony being unfairly hurt. As the teenager, who seemed to be the leader of the group, began to flair up his horn, Luna's own horn flared up, and she charged to the ground below. Right as the teenage unicorn they called Ace was about to release a spell, more than likely meant to hurt the injured Bat Pony, Luna landed right over the young Bat Pony, and in turn, caused a magical wave, just as she had intended, which sent the unicorns flying a few feet. The little Bat Pony had had his eyes shut waiting for another magical blow, but it never came.
When he opened his eyes, he was in a state of confusion and shock. He now saw a mare, 4, maybe five times his size, standing over him in, what he could only fathom was, a motherly protective stance. As the unicorns came to their senses, they saw Princess Luna standing before them. "Princess Luna," Ace said in surprise, before bowing to the Princess of Night.
His group of bullies bowed in respect as well. "Explain yourselves!" Luna demanded.
The boys stood silent for a moment, they weren't sure why the Princess had an aggressive look right now, but Ace finally cleared his throat so not to invite in Luna's famous "Royal Canterlot Voice", and said, "You're majesty. We were merely taking care of an abomination, and felt you need not have to bother with it. Somehow he slipped past the Royal Guards posted at the Entrance to the city of Canterlot, though, being what he is, I am not surprised."
Luna's mood not only was angered, but disgusted. Had this snob unicorn just assaulted and insulted somepony because of their race? Bat Ponies were a rare sight to see in Equestira. They were cousins to the race of Pegasi, and had many features adapted for the night. But that was no reason to address them as abominations, outcast, and whatever other insulting names known to ponykind. If Luna didn't know better, this Ace fellow would have been mistaken for Luna's nephew's brother, and Blueblood was his own piece of work, though she wouldn't be surprised if Blueblood was a promising influence on Ace.
Luna looked down at the young colt beneath her. His face of terror, the scrapes and bruses, and the tears streaming down his cheeks told her this little one needed her. She then spat at Ace, "What abomination? All I see is a helpless foal, who requires some well overdue care, and a bunch of bullying unicorns who should know better then to attack a defenseless child. I don't know what fed your minds to think of this little one as if he is lower then you. And the Royal Guards that guard the Entrance to the City of Canterlot have no reason to keep him from entering the city."
"Princess Luna, I have the utmost respect for you, and Princess Celestia, but that thing.... that thing is the workings of Nightmare Moon. It is something she left behind to complete her plan. We're trying to eliminate the threat," Ace reasoned.
Luna wasn't buying it. Was this pony that shallow, or was he just a complete imbecile? Bat Ponies had been around far before the rise of Luna's darker form. Obviously, this pony didn't know his history too well, for he would have known the mare in front of him was once the dark mare he spoke of. And Bat Ponies merely had a little more respect for Luna then they did Celestia was all, and Luna had been too blind by the rest of Equestria to have seen that 1000 years ago. "Please, just let us take care of him, before he becomes an unstoppable force," Ace pleaded as he slowly began to trot forward.
At this point Luna snorted, her breath nearly as hot as dragon fire, and she crouched low, with her horn flaring at full power, protecting the tiny charge beneath her. "Come any closer towards this little one, and the punishment decided by the high pony council, including my sister and I, will feel like a mere sting," Luna warned as her pupils narrowed and glowed to match the eyes of her once darker form. They were not eyes of evil, but eyes of maternal rage.
Ace was in shock. Luna was not known for making threats, nor was she known for hurting other ponies. But of course, no pony in Equestria had decided to challenge her either, for they knew better then to toy with Alicorn magic. Hopefully, Ace was smart enough not to test her. Thankfully, he was, as he merely was frozen in place. Luna began to power down her horn and ordered, "Guards, arrest these ponies."
Before the group of bullies had a chance to make a run for it, they found their faces planted into the ground, before the cold feeling of chains surrounded their necks and hooves before being lifed back up by Royal Guards of the Night. Ones who specialize in surprise attacks, and performed exemplary tonight. "Your highness, this is unnecessary, we've done nothing wrong," Ace argued.
Luna gave him a chilling glare as she said, "On the contrary. You committed one of the worst acts any pony can ever commit. You hurt a young child, far too young to defend themselves. And the fact that his race is Bat Pony is no excuse for what you did. I'll have you know, one of the highest ranking officials in Canterlot themself as well as one of my own personal Guards are Bat Pony. They won't be too pleased to hear about what you have done. But I am disgusted. Those who respect me and my sister would never commit such acts when our backs are turned, and so help me, should I find any more with your radical ideas, I'll be sure to have them join you in your punishment."
"Please Princess Luna, you can't do this," Ace said.
He chraged his horn to try and break the chains off him and his friends. But nothing happened. "There's no use trying to get free. Those chains are enchanted and can only be taken off with a magical key. A little invention my sister and I, as well as our niece came up with. Guards, take them to the dungeons," Luna ordered.
The guards soon dragged the struggling bullies away. Luna's pupils soon became soft and rounded again, and she then turned her attention to the colt below her. This young colt had it very rough, bruises, scrapes, tears, all results of a painful, and unfair treatment. The young colt couldn't be any older then a toddler at most. Not much more older then the cake's twins, or young little Flurry Heart for that matter. Which meant he was in desperate need of parental care. But, there were no known Bat pony families in the area. And she was sure that no Bat Pony children had been introduced to any of the Pegasi families living in the area at this time. But seeing how young this colt was, he couldn't have wondered in from any of the neighboring cities or towns.
Then a thought stuck her. The Canterlot Orphanage had been due to receive new orphaned fillies and colts today. He must have been part of the group, and the best logic she could deduce was that these unicorn bullies had grabbed him while the caretakers had had their backs turned in while transporting the young orphaned foals to their new home.
With this particular thought she carefully brought the colt to be sitting in front of her. The foal merely whimpered as he lay in front of her, head crouched low in fear. "Don't be frightened little one. I am not going to hurt you. Shhh," Luna said as she nuzzled him.
The colt began to lift his head, still whimpering, but less nervous after having felt the princess's gentle touch. "There we go. Now, tell me little one, where are your parents?" Luna asked politely.
The colt whimpered a bit more, but answered, "Me... Me no have Mama and Daddy. They went to see ponies in stars wong agos."
Luna knew what that meant. She found the little colts foalish speech cute. But she still felt sad for this little colt. How could someone so small, and so cute, be dealt such a hard blow? "I'm sorry little one. I didn't know," Luna said as she nuzzled him.
Luna had a strange feeling developing inside her. She didn't know what it was but it felt.... good. It felt.... right. It felt.... like she needed to care for this young colt. Of course, many things would have to change. But Luna just couldn't help it. This little one had just stole her motherly heart. And she already showed signs of motherly affection for him earlier. Perhaps that feeling she had earlier when she sensed this little one was in danger was due to what mares call "Maternal Instinct". That had to be why she was so quick to answer the inner voice that called to her. This little colt had somehow been that voice.
That settled it. Tonight he would come with her to the castle. And tomorrow, she would ensure her sister agreed with what she did, before officially adopting the young colt. Course, he was in serious need of some padding, should he sleep with her tonight, but that could be fixed in a moment. No need for the maids having to wash her bed sheets because she was careless. How he didn't have one on, was more then likely due to that bully Ace.
She was pulled from her thoughts as the young colt playfully hugged her nose with all four hooves, being how small he was. Luna chuckled. Already he was showing he wanted to stay with her. Trying to win her heart more with his cuteness, the little rascal. She set him on the ground. "Now hold still a moment dear," Luna said as she flared up her horn.
The Colt closed his eyes, expecting a lashing or something, but was surprised when it felt as if the cold hard ground had suddenly become warmer and softer, like nice comfy cloud. He looked down, and saw that he was now wearing a diaper, with some designs of the Royal Guard of both Day and Night on them. He looked back up at Luna, and she smiled. "Well, I can't have galloping around without proper protection at your age now can I?" Luna asked rhetorically.
The colt blushed a bit. "Oh, before we go. Might I ask... what's your name little one?" Luna inquired.
"N-Night Mist, um, youw highness," Night Mist said, trying to bow, but finding it hard from being sore.
"Oh, no need for bowing dear, I don't want you to hurt yourself more then those nasty unicorns did. And Night Mist is such an adorable name for an adorable colt," Luna quickly urged.
"Awe dey aww wike dat?" Night Mist asked.
"No. Many are very kind. Those Ponies are just stuck up, and their parents can badger me all they want about what I did. But it won't change their punishment," Luna said.
"What gonna happen," Night Mist pondered.
"Something your cute little ears don't need to hear about," Luna said as she nibbled his ear playfully, making him giggle.
Luna then rose to her hooves, and stood tall and giant to Night Mist once more. Night Mist saw her as very powerful. And while most his size would have felt a lot more intimidated in such a presence, Night Mist felt, for the first time in his very young life, safe from the terrors of Canterlot. Luna then lit up her horn again. Night Mist yelped as he felt his body become weightless, as Luna levitated him onto her back. Had it not been for his size, and the state of his injuries, Luna would have spread her majestic wings and flown back to the palace. Instead, She formed a protective, well, in a sense, crib for the little charge on her back. "Whewe we going Pwincess?" Night Mist asked.
Luna turned her head back towards him, "Why, to the palace dear. You're coming with me. I can already hear that rumbling belly, and I know someone is tired, so your gonna sleep with me tonight, and, if you like, for many more nights too."
"Huh? How many nights is dat Pwincess Woona?" Night Mist inquired.
Luna's heart was sent a flutter. No one had called her Woona since she was a little filly herself, barely stable trained. To hear this tiny bat pony say it the way he did would have cause a mare of lesser strength to have passed out from adorableness. She finally answered, "As many nights as you want dear. I can be your new Mommy. Would you like that?"
Night Mist was in disbelief. The famous Princess of the Night herself was offering to become his mother. Him? Her son? A Prince? A Prince of the Night? "W-Weally?" Night Mist requested verification.
"Really dear," Luna giggled, before nuzzling his tiny cheek.
Night Mist, had it not been for the state of his condition, would have been bouncing all over the place in joy. Instead, he hugged her muzzle with his forhooves and replied, "Yes, yes, I want yous to be my Mama."
Luna giggled, "I thought so sweetie. Well, we best start moving and we'll have to make one quick stop before we head to the Lunar Chambers."
Luna turned her head back forward and was about to trot back towards Canterlot palace, when she saw two of her guards standing there, with a carriage ready for her and Night Mist. Luna gave a blank stare, then blinked in shock a few times before inquiring, "H-How Long have you been there and..... how much did you hear?" Luna asked.
One of the guards chuckled, "We've been here a while ma'am, and we heard everything. Rest assured, no pony else will hear it from us til you're ready to announce it your highness."
"That's much appreciated Chrome Wing," Luna thanked.
Soon Luna trotted aboard the carriage, and her guards began to the journey back to the palace castle. Seeing as it was getting a little nippy out. Luna grabbed one of the blankets in the carriage, and after carefully swaddling Night Mist into the blanket, she placed him between her hooves and cuddled him. He closed his eyes as he nuzzled his tiny face into her chest, now feeling more safe then ever before.
As Luna's chariot made it to the castle grounds, she carefully laid Night Mist on her back so he could nap a little longer. Before she could turn in for the approaching morning however, she had to make a couple stops, for Night Mist's sake. Her first stop was the medical wing of the castle. When she arrived, Nurse Gentle Heart was there to greet her. "Hello Princess Luna, how may I help you to- oh!" She said alarmed as she saw the little foal riding on Luna's back asleep.
"Nurse Gentle Heart. This little foal is in need of your healing spell. He was cornered by some bullying unicorn teenagers just near the outskirts of the city. Had I not shown up, much more damage would have been done," Luna stated as she gently levitated Night Mist onto a soft bed for Nurse Gentle Heart to work her magic for him.
"I hate those kinds of noble younglings. They think they're better then everypony else, because they call themselves purebloods. This little Bat Pony isn't even 3 years old yet. To treat him so poorly at such a young age, I can hardly imagine what he was going through," Gentle Heart said with concern as she began to heal the young foal very carefully to not wake him.
"Little Night Mist is a young orphan. Those unicorns must have grabbed him when the caretakers bringing him to the orphanage weren't looking. But I have made sure that they won't be hurting anypony else soon," Luna assured Gentle Heart.
"That's good to know. What shall become of this young little one your highness?" Gentle Heart asked as she finished mending Night Mist's wounds.
"Well, I know this will sound sudden, but, I have decided to take him in as my own. He just so adorable, and his cute little personality just stole my heart, I couldn't just turn him away," Luna admitted.
Gentle Heart was shocked to hear this, but she was also touched and asked, "Are you sure your majesty?"
"I am. I know motherhood will be a challenge, but I am sure," Luna said.
"Well, there are some things I must state. Based on his age, he will be able to talk. Bat Ponies are known for developing speech and are very intelligent very early on. However, his motor skills will be a bit on the slow side, so don't be surprised to find him crawling instead of walking. His digestive system is also slower then most pony types, even his pegasus cousins, so, now this may sound a little uncomfortable, but he will be having to nurse for a while. Bat Ponies usually aren't weaned from their mothers til their about 4 or 5 years of age, and potty training will also be a bit slow. Again Bat Ponies aren't usually out of stable training til about 4 years at the least, and he is only 2 years old. I know this after I cast an age scanning spell while I was healing him. His situation is sort of a sacrifice body development for intelligence kind of scenario your highness," Nurse Gentle Heart informed the Princess of the Night.
"I understand. I am 100% certain I can cope with nursing my little Night Mist til he's old enough for the more grown up food. And thankfully, I had more than a few lessons in changing my niece's diapers, so that won't be a challenge. I think the only thing I have to worry about is the nobles that will no doubt be in an uproar at what I have done. Though, it will be rather amusing to watch the argument unfold and see my sister give them what for if I don't get the chance to do it myself," Luna giggle softly, careful not to wake little Night Mist.
"Hmhmhm. Oh, I can only imagine the look on Prince Blueblood's face when he hears about this. And it will even be more amusing to hear how his own aunt or aunts humiliate him your grace," Gentle Heart added.
"Well, I best get him to the Lunar Chambers so that he can rest on a nice comfortable bed. Til I can acquire a smaller bed for him in the Lunar Chambers of course," Luna said, as she gently levitated Night Mist back onto her back and back into a bundle of blankets.
"Oh, before you go, I have one more thing for you your highness," Gentle Heart said, before she pulled out a vial of some sort of potion and gave it to the Princess.
"What is this for Gentle Heart?" Luna inquired.
"It's so you can feed him mother's milk. I know you are aware of a spell that can temporarily allow you to produce milk, but Bat Ponies are also known for a high metabolism. This is to allow you a more permanent way to have milk available for little Night Mist, and alleviate the use of your magical energy, so it won't be so used up on providing him milk. Once he's weaned himself, the effects will wear off, just like normal, unless of course you drink this type of potion again afterwards, then they take about 3 weeks to wear off if he's weaned already," Gentle Heart informed her.
"I see. Thank you very much Gentle Heart," Luna gestured.
Soon Luna took her leave, and drank the vial while in transit to her chambers. She felt that, should her new little charge awake and need a snack to get him back to sleep, may as well be prepared. The effects took hold, and by the time she made her way into her chambers, she could already tell she'd be able to feed young Night Mist. As she laid down onto her bed, which was big enough to hold her and 15 charges that were size of her little Night Mist, Night Mist stirred awake as he was levitated down next to her. At the same time, she had magially removed her regalia to be able to have a more comfortable rest. She soon focused her attention on the little bat pony and said, "Hello there Night Mist, did I wake you."
Night Mist yawned, "No. Bad Unicowns chase mes again."
Luna nuzzled him close, "It's okay sweetie. How about you have some of mommy's milk. It will help you feel better."
She lifted her left rear leg to reveal her teats. Night Mist looked at Luna's face in uncertainty. All he had known for nourishment was mother's milk, but he had never drank it from another mare other than his birth mother. He thought he would get in trouble if he did. "It's okay honey. I'm not gonna be mad. You need mommy's milk go on," Luna urged him.
Night Mist was a bit hesitant, but slowly and gently, he latched on and began to nurse. "There we go dear, drink as much as you need," Luna said, as she covered him with her wing to give him some privacy.
She heard Night Mist's little whimmpers as he nursed and relaxed. She was happy that she had helped this little foal be saved from a treatment he did not deserve. And she hoped other mares out there would follow her example and not judge based on a ponies race. She could tell Night Mist had passed out while feeding as his suckling became softer, and she soon levitated him to her shoulder and he let out a cute little burp as she patted his back. Soon she laid him between her forlegs and wrapped them around him, before pulling the covers over both of them for a good mornings rest. Midday was going to be interesting to say the least. But she fell asleep with a smile on her face as she cast a spell to allow her and her little Night Mist to have happy dreams til they needed waking.
As Noon approached, Princess Luna slowly awoke with Night Mist and felt better then she had in ages. Perhaps it was a sense of pride that she had done something selfless for another pony that gave her this feeling, but whatever the case was, she felt great. She nuzzled Night Mist who giggled as she gave him some belly blasts before giving him a change, knowing he had wet himself in his sleep.
Not long after readying herself for the day and night, and giving Night Mist what would be considered his breakfast, there was a knock at her door. "Enter," Luna commanded as Night Mist cuddled under her wing.
A pegasus mare with green fur, a sky blue mane and a notebook in her hoof trotted in. "Pardon me you majesty. I understand that the events of last night may have left you a tad overwhelmed, but I have some good news and bad news. The good news is, your request to have Twilight Sparkle pay a visit was answered, and she is on her way as we speak, so it won't be long before she arrives in Canterlot, the Harvest Moon Ball will be held in the castle as scheduled, and the head chef has finally found that old recipe for caramel roles his ancestor made so long ago, but he will have to make a few adjustments to it, to go with ingredients we have available today, and he hopes it will be to your expectations once he feels he's perfected it," the mare said.
"I see, so, let me know the bad news Sky Note," Luna requested, knowing very well what it was going to be about.
"The bad news is, the nobles have demanded a meeting, including your nephew, about last nights events, and our, new Lunar Member, as many of the staff addresses it. To be quite honest your highness, I think that what they are doing is outlandish and very uncouth, even for me. What you did is noble, and should not be put into question. Besides, the little one is cute, and I think the little fangs make him even more adorable. It's not every day you see a Bat Pony around here," Sky Note stated.
"No, indeed we do not. And I do thank you for your opinion on the matter, but nobles will be nobles. Thankfully, me and my sister have been around far longer to be able to deal with petty complaints and false accusations. Don't worry, I shall attend the meeting. I just need somepony to look after Night Mist," Luna stated.
"Oh, I'd be more then happy to look after him your grace. I have many younger siblings that I look after from time to time, and they're more rambunctious then this little one, from what I hear. And Night Mist is an adorable name. It suits him well," Sky Note said.
"Are you sure? I mean, if my sister needs you to complete other tasks, I don't want to deviate you from them," Luna pointed out.
"It's no trouble your highness. This takes priority over any other menial chores I am assigned. I know many great games we can play for somepony his age. But I won't try and scare him. I promise. I understand he is pretty shy, so I'll take it slow," Sky Note stated.
"Alright. Night Mist, honey. This is Sky Note. She's gonna look after you while I am taking care of something, alright?" Luna said.
Night Mist looked over at Sky Note, and she looked very sweet, so he nodded to Luna to let her take off. Luna soon began to trot out of the room, as the doors began to shut, she watched as Night Mist began to warm up to Sky Note, knowing he would be in good hooves.
As she made her way to the throne room, she could already imagine the arguments the nobles would present, and the demands they would make, and had no doubt, one or two of the nobles had some relation to the bullies she had arrested last night while on patrol with her guard.
As she traversed the halls from her room to the throne room, she would get compliments from the staff, hear some strike conversation at how noble her act was, or how cute her little charge in her care was, with some giggles to add. Soon she came upon the the throne room doors. The unicorn guards made two simultaneous pounds with the bottom of their spears to announce her arrival from outside, and used their magic to each open a door to allow Luna entrance, and one of the guards on the other side announced, "Princess Luna, Guardian of the Night, Controller of the Moon and Stars, and peace keeper of Dreams, arriving!"
This was soon followed by trumpets to finish the announcement. This practice felt unneeded in Luna's eyes, and sometime after this meeting, she and Tia had to have a talk about these announcements. But for now, she held her head high, and trotted forward towards her throne in the throne room, seeing it had been arranged for the meeting being held with all nobles present, including Prince Blueblood, Princess Cadence, and of course Princess Celestia. All eyes were focused on her, and there were much idle chatter going on among the nobles. As Luna looked towards her sister, she caught Celestia wink, knowing her sister was on her side in this matter. Thankfully, none of the other nobles caught it as their attention was on Luna.
As she took her seat on her throne, she said to Celestia, "If you are ready sister, we can begin the meeting."
Celestia nodded and proceeded as she spoke, "We are here today to talk about some events that happened last night in the streets of Canterlot. Since Prince Blueblood has requested it, he shall be the first to speak his peace."
Luna could tell Celestia was annoyed by what she had to announce, which was an indicator Blueblood was about to have another "Royal Meltdown".
Prince Blueblood trotted from his throne to stand before everypony, and began, "My dear aunt, Princess Luna was patrolling the streets of Canterlot last night as she normally does every night, to keep our subjects safe, and happened to come upon a peculiar sight. Three Adolescent Unicorns were cornering another pony. This pony was a Bat Pony. Princess Luna soon stepped in and stopped the confrontation."
Luna knew he was trying to get her to drop her guard, but she thought in her mind, 'Here it comes.'
Prince Blueblood continued, "And I think that what she did was very admirable."
Princess Luna's composure went stiff in surprise, as did Celestia's and Cadence's. Had they just heard what they thought they had heard? Luna most of all thought Prince Blueblood would have a personal vendetta against bat ponies or something, and this caused quite a few gasps and mumbles among the nobles. Blueblood pressed on, "The young Bat Pony colt is only a toddler, I can not say exact age, but based on the chatter that's been going around the castle staff, I can definitely say it's fair to put him in that age category. But to get back on the subject, he had little to no defense against ponies three times his age and size. Even his fangs can't do any harm at his age. No matter how you try to look at this situation, the teenagers in question had no right to assault such a youngster. And the fact that he is Bat Pony does not justify it. Bat Ponies are rare to see in Equestria, and the fact that an orphaned one was here in Canterlot is also an amazing find. Now I understand many are also troubled by my Aunt Luna's decision to take this youngster under her charge."
Blueblood was cut short as a unicorn noble with Maroon fur a black mane with grey highlights and a goatee similar to the famous scientist Stony Spark said, "I'm sorry, my prince, but I feel your opinion is bias on this matter. Princess Luna cannot just simply throw ponies in the dungeon because she feels like it nor can she simply adopt a random foal. And Bat Ponies do pose a great threat."
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Lord Thunderhoof?" Spat a Bat Pony mare with fur of pitch black, and eyes as blue as the ocean, and a blond mane with some white highlights.
Everpony's attention turned to the mare. "Need I remind you, I am a Bat Pony among the nobles, and not once have I ever shown any actions for my princesses to distrust me. And I am sure you are aware there are also bat ponies who are enlisted and officers who have swore an oath to protect Equestria, and all rulers and her subjects," The mare pointed out.
"Thank you Lady Shadow Wing, for reminding Lord Thunderhoof about Bat Pony nobles and gaurds, and I also have another question to state. How is it Princess Luna cannot take a foal under her care to help nurture and raise? How is it she's not able to adopt any orphan she wishes to if she feels it is right? No where in our nations history, not even ten thousand years ago if you wish to go so far, have I ever signed a document that stated that royalty cannot adopt any pony they wish, even if the pony is of humble origins. Night Mist has just as much right to be adopted into the royal family as anypony," Celestia stated.
"I agree, it is not the title that should matter, but the actions of the pony that should define how their fellow ponies see them. I know I have made my mistakes, and I hope to correct them," Prince Blueblood stated.
"A Bat Pony cannot be a prince of Equestria. I will not bow to a peasant who should be sent to some town far away from us," Thunderhoof bellowed.
"Lord Thunderhoof, you are being unreasonable. You cannot judge a pony solely based on their race," Luna argued.
"I'm unreasonable. You arrested three unicorns because you didn't like their behavior. And you say I am unreasonable?" Thunderhoof scoffed.
Cadence had enough and soon cast a spell that displayed a projection of what happened last night, showing every scene of the event. Everypony was scilent, and Shadow Wing wore a glare of disgust as she looked at Thunderhoof. "Before you ask how this was seen and showed here today, let me remind you that, everypony here knows, that when ponies are arrested, it is common practice to have their memories scanned, so we have proof of their crimes, and as you can see, they committed one of the worst crimes imaginable. So your argument that Luna's arrest of these ponies was unjust, holds no ground here Lord Thunderhoof. I suggest you choose your next words carefully, or they may be your last as a noble pony after your display today," Cadence stated.
This gathered a huge silence from all the nobles. Not many had known Cadence to make threats, so if it was happening here, than it was a serious matter. Thunderhoof cleared his throat and sat there idlely, knowing this was a lost battle. Celestia could only smile at her niece's achievement, before she herself stated, "So, I have already sent word to the Canterlot Orphanage to bring the proper paperwork for Luna to sign. Once that has been completed, an announcement will be sent to all of Equestria of Luna adopting her new son. If anypony has any objections, I ask that..."
Celestia was cut short as the throne room doors were swung wide open and a terrified Sky Note with a mist colored foal hanging onto her back came galloping in. Not far behind them, two of the pegasus guards had managed two finally tackle to other pegasi to the ground who were wearing black suits that covered everything but their eyes and wings. Sky Note was soon by Luna's side. "I am so sorry I barged in like this your majesty, but those two pegasi came in through the balcony and tried to attack me and Night Mist while we were awaiting your return and," Sky Note was cut short as Luna placed a hoof over her mouth and levitated Night Mist close to her.
"You did an admirable thing Sky Note. You have nothing to apologize for," Luna assured her.
Celestia rose from her seat and began to rant, "Alright, I know somepony here is responsible for this treachery. One of you was trying to hurt one of your fellow subjects, on top of which, you hired two mercenaries, whom I am very familiar with, who were breaking and entering castle grounds. The fate of these two will be dealt with, but if the pony in question does not give themselves up now, your punishment shall be far harsher once you are found guilty before our jury for not only association, but denial of association with these two ponies, on top of which, being the dealer of criminal payment. If you wish to face less punishment now, I suggest you give yourself up now."
Celestia's eyes had a mad fire. Something no pony had seen in quite a while. Luna's were just as on fire. She wanted the criminal brought to justice. Cadence knew why both were in a mental rage at the moment, and they were in the right. Somepony had just tried to hurt her soon to be cousin.
No pony spoke up. Cadence knew that it meant the pony who committed this act of treachery had more to hide, and would not give up easy. "Alright, but know now, that no pony here will be spared investigation. Even if you are a close friend of ours, since no pony has the honor to speak up, we will be having the EBI conducting an investigation for everyone in Canterlot. Understand, I may be a little frustraighted at the moment, but that does not mean I am not being level headed about things, or I would have been a lot more specific in my choosing of who would be investigated. But on a more simple matter, if anypony does wish to speak their piece about the events that transpired last night, you may speak, and we will reason together," Celestia said as she calmed herself.
The room stayed silent, and Celestia continued, "Then, once the paperwork for Night Mist adoption is done, he will be addressed as Prince Night Mist. You may address him as such now if you wish, or wait til the papers to be completed, it's completely up to you, and I won't mind one bit. And on a further note, any more attempts on Night Mist's well being from here on out will be considered crimes against the crowns, and will be dealt with in swift fashion. If you have any further things you wish to discuss with me or my fellow royals, be sure to have a meeting scheduled individually. This meeting is adjourned."
Celestia stomped her hoof and soon, the nobles began to disburse towards the entrance, many if not all complimenting the royals in their swift actions. Blueblood noticed something and said to a guard as his aunts came to his side "Lieutenant Fire Mane, I must ask you to follow Lord Thunderhoof, and have another guard accompany you. I think he may be up to something."
"As you wish your highness," Firemane bowed to all the royals, who gave him the nod of approval.
"I must say, I am surprised by your actions today Blueblood. I had not expected you to defend me," Luna stated.
"I understand that my actions at the Gala were unfair, and I owe that Unicorn and Earth Pony my most sincere apologies. It was actually after the events of that night that made me do a lot of thinking about other past actions I committed, and I decided to change myself for the better," Blueblood admitted.
"Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?" Cadence joked.
"Very funny Cadence. Anyways, this Bat Pony, Night Mist is soon to be my cousin as well, and, I think, with a little clean up, he'll be looking more noble than me. And come on, a prince has to have a bit of ferociousness to him, so those fangs will give him an edge..... eventually. In all honesty, I think they make him look more adorable then I was. It's gonna get him all the pretty mares," Blueblood teased as he rufffled Night Mist's mane.
This actually made Night Mist blush and hide his face under his wings. "Aww, I didn't know you had a soft side to you Blueblood. You got Nighty all red in the face," Celestia said as she tickled Night Mist's back.
Night Mist giggled, and as he was preoccupied with grabbing hold of his new aunts wing and nibbling on it, Luna asked, "So why did you send a couple guards to keep an eye on Thunderhoof? You don't think..."
Luna paused as Blueblood nodded, "I do think he's behind what happened in your chambers, and I have a feeling, he's going to try to make further moves to strike again, and that's why we need proof. I just hope my hunch is wrong Aunt Luna."
"I hope so as well nephew, but now, I believe we have to make our way to the dining hall. Twilight Sparkle will be there awaiting us," Luna said.
Soon the royal family, with Luna carrying Night Mist on her back, and Sky Note accompanying them, were off towards the dining room.
As Luna and the rest of the Royal family were making their way to the Dining Hall to meet with Twilight, they swapped stories as to how funny Thunderhoof would look if and when they ordered his arrest. Just as they were halfway inbetween, they saw Shining Armor galloping towards them. "Shining Armor, what appears to be the trouble? Are we getting threats from Queen Chrysalis again?" Blueblood half joked.
"I only wish it were that simple Blueblood. I'm actually here to speak with Princess Luna. Could I trouble you to speak privately your highness?" Shining Armor insisted.
Luna looked at the rest of the royal family, and Celestia gestured, "Go ahead sister, we can entertain Night Mist til you can join us in the dining hall. And I'm sure Twilight can stay distracted with a barrage of questions she is sure to ask about Night Mist."
Luna nodded in thanks and soon, the two trotted into a private conference room, not too far from where they had been. Once the door was shut, Luna made sure to put a sound barrier up to keep unwanted ears from listening in. "Now, what was so important you had to talk to me about Shining Armor?" Luna inquired.
"It's about Night Mist. I had heard that colt's name before. At first I wasn't sure where from, so then, I did a bit of search in through the records we keep here in Canterlot, and when I saw who one of the parents were, I bolted to the Royal Guards' Headquarters, and looked through the files of ponies who were in the guard, past and present. And I found it. Night Mist's mother. Her name was Silver Star. She was a bat pony just like her son. Single mother. Husband had passed away a little time after their son had been born due to an unforeseen illness that could not be treated in time. And Silver Star was Appointed by me as Head of the Lunar Guard's special forces unit," Shining put out.
Luna interrupted, "Pardon my rudeness. But you said "was".... a past tense word. Why is she not the Head of the Special Forces Unit anymore?"
Shining hung his head in sorrow, "About a month ago, she and a squad of the special forces she was leading into the Southern Kingdom of Griffonia to rescue a small group of ponies from captivity were killed by the Griffons of that kingdom. We're still trying to find the traitor, be it one of our own, or someone from the Northern Griffon Kingdom. Their bodies were sent back out of spite, and the Southern Kingdom is not happy about this."
"They are still holding ponies captive as slaves. I thought we made it clear that all slave ponies be sent back to us," Luna pointed out.
"A large bulk of the ponies enslaved by the kingdom were sent back to us, and were claimed to be all the ponies they had enslaved and released. But about six months ago, North Griffonia intelligence informed us there was still a small group of ponies still enslaved in their kingdom," Shining added.
"So the kingdom lied to us to get a peace treaty signed, so that we would not take military action towards them in the future. Well, if they want to declare we violated the peace treaty with our actions, we can tell them that they had violated it from the time it began," Luna spat.
"Indeed they did violate it. We had sent in the squad to try to get the ponies out, but as I said, the operation failed. The only reason we know that this happened, and that there was a traitor, was because, only one squad member made it back. He revealed the whole ordeal, and the North Griffonian king is pledging his forces to us, should we decide to invade. But we have gotten off subject, and I am sure that you will bring this atrocity to Celestia at a later time, but to get back on subject, Silver Star was a very decorated officer of my forces, and her rank also had brought her to a noble status. She was given the rank of duchess before her death at the military rank she held. That means that if any nobles had a dispute of Night Mist not having nobility, they can rest easy knowing he was to be the next Duke of his family's lands and entitlements when he came of age. However, seeing as you are adopting him, those lands and titles will of course be under the crowns' supervision til further notice," Shining Armor stated.
Luna sat there. Night Mist's blood mother had been a hero. She had given her life in the line of duty. Night Mist had told her his parents had gone to the stars, but he was just a little toddler, so he wasn't able to remember much, so she couldn't blame him for misinformation. Not only had things become personal with one, or maybe a few nobles who were unhappy that Luna was adopting Night Mist. Now things had become personal between the crowns, and the Southern Kingdom of Griffonia. They had violated a pact to no longer enslave ponies in their kingdom.
She knew that this kingdom was no doubt trying to conceive some sort of plan to gain more leniency from the crown to get what they wanted, and no doubt they were going to use the Special forces unit to do so. But Luna knew in her head that these Griffons were unaware of the one member who made it back, so they were unaware that Equestria's leaders knew about their treachery. But the question remained how this would be approached. Of course she would talk with her sister, before making rash decisions, and knew that rash decisions would more than likely convince the Southern Griffon kingdom that Luna was still under Nightmare Moon's influence if she did make them. Not that she didn't want to give the griffons of that kingdom a good scare by disguising herself as Nightmare Moon, but she felt that should wait til after logical decisions were made.
"Thank you very much for providing this information Shining Armor. When did you learn of all of this, if you could sate my curiosity?" Luna pleaded.
"I only learned of this about 4 days ago. The bodies arrived only a couple days ago, but the information came in ahead of them. When I learned Silver Star was one among the fallen, I did feel a slight sting since she was a close friend, but when I learned of Night Mist, the sting was even harder. The fact that you hadn't learned of this before hoof, to me, it all the more showed how you did this as a genuine maternal love for the colt, and not to gain publicity cause of his mother's death. I would suggest, that in a couple years, you let Night Mist know his original mother was a hero. She and her squad will be given all the proper funeral arrangements. If you and Celestia wish to not attend, I won't hold it against you," Shining stated.
"No, I feel I will. I may not have known much of Silver Star's personal life, or military life, but in the few instances I was able to speak with her, she was one pony I knew was of noble personality. Had I gotten to know her more. I am sure the two of us would have been great friends. But at least her soul is at piece in the Elysian Fields. For now though, let us put these troubling matters off to the side, and make our way to the dining hall," Luna suggested.
"I concur that would be best, Princess Luna," Shining agreed.
Soon the sound barrier was lifted and the two trotted out of the conference room, and towards the dining hall.
