Dusk had come and Thomas let the covers slide from his bare chest as he pulled himself up to stretch. Luna stirred beside him and he smiled down at her. She was so lovely, and it was almost painful to leave her side for the chill against his bare skin. It was only when he heard the steady clopping of hooves against the floor that the warmth and relaxation of the moment evaporated.

Thomas straightened to attention in the bed and saw Silver standing a little ways from the door. A few days ago, Luna had explained that Silver Bell was to be given a crash course in her attendant duties and put on the job at the earliest opportunity. A pity no one saw fit to tell me when exactly that would be, Thomas thought sarcastically. Also, Talon had taken the liberty of sleeping in her own bed yesterday, leaving the poor human without her support, hopefully unintentionally.

The first thing he noticed about Silver was that she was wearing an especially frilly maid’s outfit with an especially short skirt that left her bottom only half covered and a form fitting bust. Her hands were by her side in a military posture. Her leathery bat wings fidgeted behind her as she stared nervously back at him. Behind her stood the pegasus stallion Red Amber, also in a short skirted maid’s uniform for reasons Thomas wasn’t sure that he wanted to know.

Luna finally rose beside Thomas, blocking his view of the newcomers with her ample body as she stretched and yawned. “Good morning,” she mumbled groggily as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“GOOD MORNING, YOUR HIGHNESS!” Silver barked, to which Amber gently coughed behind her. “I mean… good morning, Your Highness,” she repeated much more gently.

“So it is,” Luna murmured as she pulled the covers from her legs and slid off the bed just in front of Silver.

When the Princess moved aside to pop her back, Thomas saw Silver gawking at the alicorn’s naked form. He could hardly blame her as he’d done the same the first time he’d seen her like this. That said, Thomas couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable at the way she was staring at his mare. As he reflected on how strangely possessive that thought was, Silver began to follow Luna as she moved across the room toward the dresser and closet, staying exactly five steps behind the Princess at all times, never losing that dumbstruck look of hers. Amber followed Silver, but at a much more casual pace.

Luna stopped and her train of followers did the same. She turned around and stared down at Silver with a neutral glare, folding her arms under her chest and pushing up her breast, which Silver’s eyes were naturally drawn to. “Silver Bell,” Luna said evenly.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Silver replied calmly, in spite of the fact that she was sweating bullets. The bat pony managed to remain at attention as she could practically feel the way Luna’s eyes were crawling across her. She imagined the Princess to be judging every strand of hair that was out of place.

“The last of the Bell House to serve me was Evening Bell,” Luna spoke regally. “Your direct ancestor, if I am not mistaken.”

Silver blinked in surprise. “Y-yes, Your Highness.” *Gulp* “If I might be so bold, how did you know?”

Luna smiled gently, causing Silver to briefly relax. “I can see it in your blood.”

“M-my blood, Your Highness?” Silver questioned.

“Your ancestry is as plain as any book for those who know how to read. You even have her eyes.” Luna continued to smile, though her eyes looked on with sadness. “Alas, it has been so many centuries since I have known the pleasurable company of your proud lineage. Do you think, young Silver Bell,” Luna’s expression turned cautiously optimistic, “that you would wish to witness my raising of the moon and stars?”

It took a moment to unfreeze Silver. Thomas seized the opportunity to jump out of bed and slip on his uniform. When she finally came to, the mare could do nothing but blurt “YES!”

“Well then,” Luna giggled as she batted her eyelids suggestively. “Surely I would be a poor host if I failed to entertain such an eager audience.” With that, naked as the day she was born, Luna, pushed the door to the balcony open and strode out with the regal confidence of a Princess going to court.

When it looked like Silver had lost her nerve, Thomas snuck up behind her and gently coughed to get her attention. Remembering herself, she had to struggle not to take flight as she sprinted across the room to meet Luna’s invitation. At meeting Amber’s eyes, Thomas was rewarded with an approving nod for staying behind. Though he was still learning the more subtle nuances of pony culture and courtship, even he could tell when some private bonding time was called for.

“Your Highness,” Silver greeted as she came up to Luna’s side, her wings fidgeting in nervous anticipation.

The last rays of the sun had disappeared over the horizon, leading to one last flash and the orange sky turned a dim black. The darkness lasted all of an instant before Luna’s horn glowed and the night sky was illuminated by the pristine sphere that was her name’s sake. The majestic orb slowly peaked out over the horizon and continued a steady climb until it was fully visible for all to see.

Luna stole a brief smile at her companion to find her utterly slack jawed at the sight before her. Thoroughly pleased with herself, Luna continued her machinations with a wave of her hand and dim lights grew in the void until the night’s sky looked as though it were full of motionless fireflies. The Princess of the Night could practically feel the bat pony’s excitement radiating off her as the little mare’s wings fidgeted to stay closed. No doubt the poor mare was worried about embarrassing herself on her first night on the job, so Luna decided a distraction was in order.

“Silver.”

“Y-yes, Princess?” Silver turned her full attention onto the naked alicorn beside her.

“What say you of this evening’s canvas?” Luna gestured out to the horizon. “Speak honestly, as I find false praise to be most distasteful.”

Silver nodded rapidly, taking the warning very seriously as she looked once more to the night’s sky. “My parents had always told me that the nights had lost so much of their beauty in your absence. Even old records from that era can confirm as much. However, though this was something we all just took as a given, I don’t think I really understood it. I mean, it was something everypony said, so why bother questioning it.” She grinned. “I just liked looking up at the stars when I needed some time to think. And then…” she sighed. “On the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.”

“Oh?” Luna raised a brow in intrigue.

“The stars… I never imagined they could shine so brightly.” Silver exhaled in awe.

“You say you would gaze at the stars when you needed to think,” Luna said, not meeting Silver’s eyes. “What do you know of the constellations?”

“I know that you crafted each one by hand to commemorate the great heroes of old.” Silver beamed brightly and pointed up. “There! There’s Aquila, the majestic phoenix who guided lost sailors fleeing Trottingham to the Emerald Isles. And there!” She excitedly pointed again. “That’s Virgo, the earth pony goddess who taught them the secrets of their innate magic and made them the masters of the land and harvest.”

“Virgo is still remembered?” Luna asked. “Even a millennia ago one would be hard pressed to point her out in the sky, let alone know her story.”

“You must not have kept very knowledgeable company,” Silver laughed before she remembered who she was speaking to. “I meant no disrespect, Your Highness! I only meant that-”

“Be still, little mare.” Luna held out her hand haltingly. “I know full well there was no malice in your intent. I was only complimenting your exceptional awareness of one of our more underrated pieces.”

It took a second before Silver felt secure enough to speak once more. “Is… is it true what they say?”

“About?”

“That Virgo was an… an alicorn?” Silver asked timidly.

Luna fixed the bat pony with an unreadable expression. “What do you think?”

Silver lowered her gaze and donned a contemplative expression. “I think… she was not.”

“And what makes you say that?”

Silver looked up to the constellation in question. “For one, none of the ancient stories have ever depicted her as anything but an earth pony. Even you,” she gestured upward, “gave her none of an alicorn’s extra parts.” A brief pause followed and Silver sensed Luna was not yet satisfied. “There’s little to no records of what actually happened, but I think she was just an exceptionally brilliant mare who taught her genius to her tribe. From there, her story became a legend and earth ponies began praying to her in their bleakest hours.”

“A very sensible conclusion, young Silver,” Luna congratulated. “I much prefer your version, as it gives hope that ponies are still strong enough to stand on their own and do for themselves, even without alicorn assistance.”

They were hardly whispering, and since Amber showed no signs of being disinterested, Thomas saw no harm in listening in to the two mares talk astronomy and myth. It fascinated the human to know that the constellations were based more on fact than myth. Granted that most myths tended to have some basis in reality, but it was still interesting to think that these legends were more fact than fairytale. However, despite his fascination with these stories and the way Silver was relaxing as the mares talked shop, Thomas couldn’t help but notice the way Luna had effectively danced around and evaded Silver’s question about Virgo being an alicorn. Because that’s not remotely suspicious.

Luna and Silver continued to discuss constellations as they returned indoors, the autumn air evident as Luna’s nipples stood erect. However, Silver seemed not to noticed as she kept her eyes squarely on Luna’s face as she continued to regale the Princess with her masterful knowledge of astronomy. It warmed the bat pony’s heart to see her Princess enjoying herself so much that she was taken completely off guard when the alicorn bent down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

As Silver’s cheeks turned bright red and Luna giggled at her expense, Thomas was left to wonder if it was normal for ponies in situations like this to whistle like a tea kettle as steam literally shot from their ears.

Silver had been utterly stupefied. The poor thing had to miss helping Luna bathe, something the Princess had been looking forward to sharing. When Silver returned to the land of the living, by way of having her tail pulled, Amber gently reminded the mare that she had a job to do and she immediately bolted for the dresser to select Luna’s dress for the evening.

“So,” Thomas began in a low whisper so as not to draw unnecessary attention to himself. He was standing beside Amber while they both watched Silver hover a bit to help Luna slip her arms and wings into the sleeves. As she did, the short skirt combined with the lack of undergarments left Thomas unable to look anywhere else. “I see you’re dressed like a maid.”

“Yeah.” Amber shrugged casually, apparently not noticing the implied question.

“Any particular reason why?”

“What d’ya mean? Doesn’t this outfit look good on me?” Amber asked with utmost sincerity.

Thomas stared critically at the stallion. His eyes scanned along the dress, past the frills, (unsuccessfully) skipping the too short skirt before he saw anything, until finally settling on the stallion’s awaiting expression. “I’m sure your wife will love it.” He deadpanned.

“I’m not married.” Amber replied matter-of-factly, staring at Thomas like he’d just said that the Princesses were secretly dudes. “But you think my herd mates’ll like it?”

“That too,” Thomas said flatly before turning his attention to the dressing buxom amazon Princess and the smaller mare obliviously giving the guys a free peep show. “I take it you’re here to keep an eye on her.”

“And to make sure you-”

“Um, Sir Thomas?” Silver whispered, unintentionally cutting the stallion off.

The males turned to survey the mares. Luna, now fully dressed, had her back turned to the scene as she stared out through the opened window. The matter at hand was hovering by the vanity. Silver gestured nervously between the various bits of regalia, held aloft in Luna’s magic, everything from the crown to the horse shoes. Her face expressed the question that she didn’t know in what order to dress Luna in her regalia.

Amber gently elbowed Thomas who got the hint quickly. Though he’d never been given any impression that it really mattered, Thomas pointed at the top of his head before dropping his hand down his torso. Silver nodded appreciatively as she reverently took Luna’s crown to dress her from head to hoof.

“And make sure you do that, basically,” Amber finished with a satisfied half smile. “Generally speaking, ponies new on the job like a little oversight from those in charge. It makes them more secure to know there’s somepony around to answer questions, and it helps establish you as the trusted leader. Good bonding experience overall.”

“Oh,” Thomas said flatly as it began to sink in that, next to Luna, he was the boss around here. “So… she has to do whatever I say?”

“Within reason,” Amber cautioned. “But yes. Although, considering just how off-the-books this particular job is, reason is kinda left open to interpretation.”

“How open are we talking?” Thomas asked, becoming increasingly nervous of this whole being-in-charge thing.

“I heard Sun Dancer had Steel Hoof get on his hands and knees for a whole day while she used him as a mobile throne; made him eat like a dog and everything.”

“That’s horrible,” Thomas said in disgust. “How could she just humiliate him like that?” And are you guys expecting me to do stuff like that?

“That’s not even the worst part.” Amber smirked. “The worst part is that he was so turned on by the whole thing and she didn’t let him get off all day.”

“Do what now?”

“When it was over, she thought she’d do him a favor and let him mount her that night, and boy let me tell you!” Amber shook his head as he remembered. “Sun Dancer learned the hard way why waving a flag in front of a bull is such a popular minotaur expression. Filly couldn’t walk straight for a week.”

“Ahem,” Luna coughed gently, drawing all attention to herself and the mare in front of her. Luna’s leg was raised as Silver knelt down with the Princess’ gem encrusted hoof guards, ready to be slipped on. However the smaller mare was frozen stiff, her face sheet white as her eyes focused intently on Thomas.

Oh crap. She heard everything, didn’t she?

A small squeak was all the answer Thomas needed. He could practically see the scenarios playing out in her mind and it filled him with revulsion to think that he was expected to carry out such things that were causing her such obvious distress.

“I have no intention of doing that to you.” Thomas asserted, hoping to show through his tone that this was something that he would not compromise on. “I’m not going to abuse or do anything that you’re uncomfortable with. That’s not my job. In fact, so long as you’re here, my only job is to make sure we can all be comfortable with each other. As far as I can tell, that means getting along and being, before anything else, well, friends.” That last part felt a little cliché, but Thomas hoped the theme of the show would add to his credibility.

Sure enough, Silver visibly relaxed. She mouthed a silent “thank you” before returning to her work.

“Well said, dearest Thomas.” Luna nodded as she stared at him out of the corner of her eye. “However, I do not think I need to remind you that Silver Bell is not the only mare who’s comfort you will be attending to, do I?”

“Another mare?” Thomas frowned as he made a show of turning his head to survey the room. “I don’t see any other mares. Are you hiding her somewhere?”

Luna mock-glared back at Thomas while Silver finished her task.

Thomas pulled the waist band of his loincloth out before letting it snap back into place with a slight sting. “I don’t think she’s hiding in there. What about you Amber? You hiding a mare in that dress of yours?”

Amber caught on quickly and grinned as he set about patting himself down. “Nope. Don’t think so. And I didn’t see anything up Silver’s skirt either.”

Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Silver shot Amber a venomous look, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Then,” Thomas shrugged with a defeated sigh, “I guess there’s just one pony’s dress we haven’t checked that a mare could hide under.” In the time it took to blink, Luna had manifested in front of the human. There was no flash from a teleport spell. She just appeared there, looming over him with her ample might. Her plentiful bosom blocked out the lights directly overhead and cast his small frame in her immense shadow. Amber, treacherous bastard he was, took several quick steps to the side, leaving Thomas alone.

“So,” Luna began inquisitively. “The little human has jokes, does he?” She leered down at him, her stern visage briefly broken by a quick wink and smirk before turning hard as stone. Sensing his confusion, Luna subtly tilted her head in the direction of the equally confused Silver.

Figuring that Luna was up to something, Thomas decided to play along. “Y-Your Highness?” Thomas stuttered with fairly convincing fear. “I… I meant no offense.”

“No offense?” Luna scowled, lifting her head high to look down her nose at the human. “Yet you still make such vulgar suggestions in our royal presence. No offense, indeed,” she hissed.

“Please, Luna.” Thomas held out his hands pleadingly. “I assure you, I-”

“Your Highness.” Silver cut in. She squirmed as Luna slowly turned around to face the smaller mare, fixing her with a neutral stare. Even so, Silver bowed at a 45 degree angle so as not to meet what she perceived as her Princess’ disapproving stare. “Forgive my interruption, but I do not believe Sir Thomas meant any ill intent with his remarks.”

“Oh?” Luna inquired with interest. “You don’t, do you?”

“No, Your Highness.” Silver audibly inhaled. “I believe Sir Thomas was trying to make a joke to lighten the mood. It was for my sake, Your Highness. Please don’t punish him. If there is any punishing to be had, then I humbly volunteer.”

Keeping her face free of expression, Luna slowly turned back around until she faced Thomas, her back once more to Silver. Certain that her secret was safe, Luna beamed brightly down at the human, her grin growing to where her ears would be if she were human as her body shook in excitement. Thomas couldn’t help but smile back, happy that Luna was so happy with Silver’s remarks. Quickly she composed herself and began speaking with an even tone. “Very well. Thy transgressions shall be forgiven this time, Sir Thomas. Thank the nice mare for coming to thine aid, as any mare should do for her stallion.”

Silver’s ears perked and she risked glancing up to see if she had heard the Princess correctly. Princess Luna was still facing away, but she did manage to catch Sir Thomas grinning before he met her eyes and wiped his face clean. There was a similar reaction with Sir Amber, leaving her with far too many questions.

“Sir Thomas?” Luna asked regally. “Will thou be joining us for breakfast this morn?”

Catching Amber gesturing at Silver, Thomas smiled and bowed to Luna. “Forgive me, my Princess. But I feel I have been most neglectful of Lady Silver since she came to the castle. It would be most rude if I allowed her to eat alone.”

“Y-you flatter me, Sir Thomas,” Silver stuttered. “But I’m afraid I can’t allow you to ignore a royal invitation like-”

“So be it.” Luna responded casually as she continued to give Silver the cold shoulder. "Thou may dine as thou sees fit. Come along, Sir Amber.” She motioned for him to follow as she made for the door. “We trust a stallion such as thyself will not neglect our royal invitation.”

“Of course not, Your Highness.” Amber trotted along beside Luna, not missing a beat.

The older ponies departed and the door closed behind them. Thus the two awkward young people, one nearly naked and the other in a skimpy maid’s uniform, found themselves alone together. Realizing what he’d gotten himself into, Thomas concluded that this was not his most thought out plan.

First night on the job. Everyone’s a bit nervous, but no major mistakes just yet. Luna seems pleased with the new mare, who’s been passing every test thrown at her so far. Now we just gotta integrate her more into the routines, and all should be set.